GameDay Picks UCLA

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College GameDayESPN GameDay’s analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard all picked UCLA to win the Pac-12. Herbstreit mentioned USC as a “wild card.”

60 thoughts on “GameDay Picks UCLA”

  1. Did Oregon and Stanford go down the tubes over the summer or something? UCLA couldn’t even compete with ASU at home last year with the division on the line. I saw Huntley getting interviewed and he was cocky as hell, and some other guy on the radio yesterday as well. They act like they’re going for a 3-Pete national championship or something. They haven’t won anything except the Sun Bowl in the past 10 years. It’s fine to be confident and maybe even a little cocky, but win something first. I see 4 certain losses for UCLA this season.

    • Is Chet Huntley alive? Wow, I miss Huntley and Brinkley. I thought they were long gone.

      • The only thing “long gone” is the last time ucla, aka Bridesmaid U, won anything big in college football. Will be interesting to see if the little gutties can break the curse. Don’t choke again now. They might even let you into the Rose Bowl in January. Now, that would be a miracle!

        • I have never been a fan of this much hype. It just sets you up for a big fall like SC a couple of years ago. Expectations are one thing. The noise of being overhyped is another. I think we will do quite well this year, but it certainly isn’t any guarantee in this conference and with our schedule.

          • You have an easy schedule. Virginia stinks, like always, and has a coach on the hot seat. Texas is way down (not even close to being ranked) and has to adjust to a new coach who has never had near as big a job as this before. You don’t even have to play at Longhorn Stadium. You play all your big games at home, except ASU, a team that also never seems to make it happen. UW has a new coach and is another team in big transition. Petersen seems to be letting go of a lot of guys. Tough schedule?

          • I think I saw it rated as the 11th toughest schedule in the nation and #2 in the league. It is easier than last year’s schedule though. Playing Texas in Dallas is still a road game. Hardly a neutral site, but I think our league games are tougher. ASU on a Thursday night can be tough although they lost a lot on defense. UW on the road is always difficult but a bit of an unknown. The last 4 of UW, USC and Stanford plus a possible PAC12 championship game against Oregon or Stanford is a tough stretch.

          • Oh I see. Some media clown pronounced ucla’s schedule as tough, so you buy into it. I don’t. If you lose any of your non-conference games, kiss your final four hopes good bye. If Texas beats you, I’ll be shocked and Mora’s star will drop like a dead canary. As I said, all your tough games, except fellow Bridesmaid U candidate, ASU, are at home. I guess you don’t consider playing at home a huge advantage like I do. Your schedule ain’t hard. No excuses this year. It’s your time unless you blow it. It’ll be fun to finally see the little gutties under the gun, with a little pressure. You’re finally the hunted, for a change.

          • I think most PAC12 teams have tough schedules, but certainly playing Stanford, Oregon and USC at home is easier than playing them on the road like last year. And no, we should not lose to Texas. It is an easier game than Nebraska in Lincoln that we had last year. I still would not call it an EASY schedule. Look at how the SEC schedules.

            SC’s schedule is easier than ours but you do have some tough road games. Stanford for one. I think WSU is improving and will be a challenge and Utah has proven to be a tough road win (ask Stanford) and Tucson isn’t a bargain either. So, it is probably rated easier than UCLA’s overall but not easy. ND at home just got easier as well.

          • The wildcard for USC is always the ND game, because of the huge rivalry aspect. ucla has never managed to beat the Irish – ever. So I’m sure you can appreciate the fact that for USC and ND, that’s nearly always a possible loss, regardless of records.

            I think we’ll beat Stanford this year. The team knows they can do it and the Cardinal has some holes to fill and doesn’t have as pronounced a home field advantage as other schools.

            USC’s schedule isn’t too bad, but neither is ucla’s. I think it’ll be a wild conference race with nobody going undefeated. I also predict some big upsets and a lot of drama. Gonna be a great year with big pressure on most teams, for different reasons.

            Am looking forward to the Oregon/Mich St game. Now there’s a out-of-conference match-up to respect.

          • Overall UCLA has a tougher schedule – just based on the fact they’re playing OR and WA this year both on the road.

            TX game is critical for them – the comeback last year by the Bruins, well done BTW, over NE is the one major reason NE should be looking for a new hc when Pelini’s contract runs out and they will as NE is in the weaker of the 2 Big-10 divisions – Pelini needs a Big-10 CG or he is toast..

            I do begin to sense that Troy will walk into the Rose Bowl 22nd November at 10-0 and if UCLA is identical well we’ll have shades of 1967 a mere 47 years later.

          • Comrade, we have OR at home this year. That is one reason we have it easier than last year. We have Oregon and Stanford at home and Hundley returned. I wish I had your total optimism about both teams being undefeated going into Nov. 22. It is a difficult road for both teams with a lot of teams fully capable of beating both SC and UCLA along the way. It won’t require much of a slip. At least we have the excitement of anticipation that comes with expectations. We certainly did not have that with Neuheisel in charge.

          • It really depends on your OL. If you guys can stay healthy and allow Kessler time to throw, I agree that a table run might be possible for SC going into the 11/22 Rose Bowl showdown. Sark will get more out of Kessler than anyone has seen yet.

          • Bend over wimp boy, aka Big Annus. You’ll choke on your weak sched as always wimp. Why’d your momma raise such a wimp? Does she even know you’re also a Troll, like her?

          • The FBS site has USC #29 and UCLA #60–smack dab in the middle of D1 programs. Frankly though, Prob, I am very happy we have an advantageous schedule this year. Our home schedule includes our three most difficult games: Oregon, Stanford, USC. (Note: Mora is 9-2 at the Rose Bowl.) As well, he’s the first coach at UCLA to have a .700 win percentage since Red Sanders (Donahue ended his run at .610).

          • Love the enthusiasm Encinitas…but a 2 year winning percentage doesn’t really tell me much yet. Sanders and Prothro were our 2 best coaches. Mora needs a larger sample size plus Sanders won a NC and Prothro a Rose Bowl. Until then what we have is a rejuvenated program and higher expectations.

          • Agreed. However, I do believe that Mora is the best all-around coach we’ve had since Donahue. As well, I agree that the hype can be dangerous, just as it was with the Trojans in 2012. If this were a Neu team, I’d be very concerned. One of the things with Mora, however, is his ability to prepare his teams mentally. I’m trying to think of any major breakdowns in the past two years. Inexplicable 43-17 loss to Cal in ’12.

          • Well, he has everything in place now for a nice run this year and in future years with the recruits he has coming in. I am as enthusiastic and fired up as much as anyone. That being said, we have had many years we expected good things to happen and fell short. For him to be special, he needs to be good year in and year out. We are still in the early stages. He has almost finished the foundation.

          • I spoke to a former Bruin linebacker who stated Donahue was skilled at deflating any half-time chat up in the locker room i.e. guys would play their hearts out only to hear and see his ‘doubt’ of the outcome.

            He tried that nonsense acting as the GM for the 49ers’ commuting back and forth from Newport to SFO after he left while declining to ever take on an NFL HC position – he was sacked in 2005

            Nice guy? Yes – a great coach? No – average at best. Bluntly at least a couple of the Bruin squads should have contended for a NC – they never did under Donahue.

          • Interested background info, comrade. I suppose by saying Mora is the best since TD simply points out how mediocre the coaches have been since. Toledo could recruit, but lots of shenanigans off field.

          • Donahue is a greet example of a guy that won just enough and was a good representative of the school that he hung around long enough to win more conference games than anyone in history. Is a .671 career winning percentage great? No. Terry is a very classy individual and likeable. I think that after he left, he and John Robinson were always good examples of how to handle the rivalry. Mutual respect. He coached some great players but the fact that he lost to SC with the Troy Aikman/Gaston Green team against a mediocre SC team with Rodney Peete was ridiculous. That team should have contended for a NC.

          • Before a 50-0 happens, Jim Mora would have his 2nd and 3rd stringers in the game. Too much class, something condoms know nothing about.

          • little gutty 3rd stringers are lucky to avoid getting killed while drunk out of their minds on the street. So classy, wimp boy.

          • Jack B. Making fun of Nick Pasquale’s death is really out of bounds. Look, we are excited about the season, but have some human decency. Crap….you really ruined my Sunday.

          • Not as hard as trying to find Bruin Stadium. The ‘Horns, an iconic football brand, own their own, named after some guy named Royal; the homeless little gutties rent, but they don’t let bruins on the field in January, when the big boys get the field. Hah, hah, hah.

          • I have some fond memories of that stadium at UT. My brother and I flew on the team plane for a UCLA team that started 0-2 with losses to WSU and Ryan Leaf and Tennessee with Peyton Manning. The “rout 66” game with the final score of 66-3 finished in front of an empty stadium with the exception of the Bruin section. That was memorable.

            Almost as memorable was walking through campus and seeing a stature of Jefferson Davis on Martin Luther King Blvd. Only in Texas!

          • And Texas fans are grateful to you much the same way USC honks are grateful to ASU for the nail-in-the-coffin. I love the fact that Haden immediately took out Kiffin in the parking lot and wouldn’t let him back on the team bus. Great, time-to-move-on-this-isn’t-fixable, move. Resolve, an understated quality which leads to an event.

          • The trolls don’t you to point out UCLA games at the best college FB venue in the US.

            SUCC on the hand, games in a crumbling mausoleum infested with large rodenst, and homeless winos.

            But Stinky B you knew that. So, back to the main point my previous comment – where is ‘Longhorn Stadium” located and what Univ. is it home to?

            Ding ding, “still hear.”

          • Like I care what you Trolls need. Figure it out yourself Spanky.

            Here’s what I need. How many more college football All-Americas does USC have compared to Bridesmaid U, home of the little gutties?

            #46-30

          • The Bruins rent??? And I suppose the gutless Trojans own their stadium? You’re retarded, it must be your menstrual period that makes you post the garbage do. POS

          • Bend over Big Annus. Another little bruin choke job is coming your way, wimp. Hah. 5-7 in the RB. No wins in 3 decades. Typical Bridesmaid U follower. Wimp.

          • Well, it sure sounds like you’re quite the expert! Why aren’t you on ESPN college game day, instead?

        • “HaDDen”? I though I’d mention it b-4 Estelle Jetskid, SUCC’s punctilious bean counter did.

      • A gentleman never tells. I’ll just give you this one hint, though– We won’t have to wait long for UCLA to fall down the rankings to where they belong.

        • Wishful thinking, if Hundley remains injury free there is not a team that can stop UCLA. Unlike our ’98 team, this team has one if rhe best defenses in the nation, they can keep theor opponents under 17 points a game, and with their high octane offense that will average 40 points a game? It’s lights out. Maybe Oregon, will pose a major threat to a perfect season, but they won’t beat us twice, I guarantee that.

          • Oregon has already beaten UCLA about 10 times in a row, so what’s 2 more? It’s never close even. UCLA lost by 30 to Oregon last season, and 14 to Stanford and those games weren’t as close as they sound. If UCLA can hold their opponents under 17 points per game, they should win them all, but they only held 3 teams under 17 last season, so why would you think that is a realistic possibility?

    • That’s because for some reason UCLA fans seem to think that UCLA football just started 2 years ago, and they are the best team ever created..

  3. On the Dari and Mel show this morning (23rd August 2014) heard
    locally here until 7:00 am PDT on KSPN 710 AM, Just before they changed
    over to Dr. Clapper and his love affair with ‘kobeee’- Kiper had UCLA as
    one of the four teams to get to the two bowl elimination round.

    Dari then gave his four and boom he’s picking USC as one of the four for the first round.

    • The problem is that the Pac 12 is going to cannibalize itself, what with Oregon, UCLA, Stanford and USC all being top-notch, as well as potential spoilers ASU and Petersen-led Washington. Our road game in Seattle–in gloomy November–will be tricky.

    • that petulant expression on you avatar is perfect when you make cranky predictions that are clearly hopeless. so angry and betrayed.

      don’t forget to come by here after the game….im chugging a whole bottle of Tapatio and that’s just to WARM UP!!!

      #MyPredictionPaaaain

        • I hear tell from many who tailgate at the RB that crow dung marinated in Tapatio is quite tasty and has been extensively served at the ucla training table. Hopefully CB, with his discerning palate, will elaborate.

  5. This is what Los Angeles football is all about. A great rivalry renewed due to UCLA’s resurgence after a dozen years mired in mediocrity; a USC program rejuvenated after a tough, multi-year sanctions period that still produced two 10-win seasons. Both teams picked top-15 preseason by every major poll. So when you drive down the 405 on a Friday night at 5:30, and see either that blue and gold or cardinal and gold license plate holder, let it stir the blood–for and against, respectively. Long live the best cross-town rivalry in the nation, and let the games begin.

  6. Recommended read!
    Scroll down (midway) and check out the interchange between Encinitas (E) and Probation (P). Agree or not, it is refreshing to read something with a semblance of objectivity. Theirs is the antithesis of the mindless troll venom spewed by the likes of ‘anno’ and ‘ucla owns’…neither one of which ever deserve any type of response.
    It is somewhat surprising that ‘E’ & ‘P’ expend any energy attempting
    to interject a shred of reason into a site such as this…other than comic relief, that is.
    Pinocchio wanted to be a ‘real’ boy…too bad Wolfie (and the so-called censors) don’t attempt to provide us with a ‘real’ site.

    • Hey Larry. When you grow up in LA and have family on both sides of the rivalry, it sorta forces you to play nice, you know? Otherwise, Thanksgiving would be very, very awkward at our home! Pop on over to the Wang’s side any time–objectivity is always welcome, as there seems to be no shortage of trollism on either side of the fence.

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