UCLA, DeShaun Foster Continually Doubted by Media

The UCLA Bruins have been making moves since their season finale win over Fresno State. Coach Deshaun Foster has overhauled his offensive staff, attacked the transfer portal and begun to re-establish a dominant presence over the Los Angeles high school scene.

Several reports have UCLA finishing with a 5-7 record. While it is understandable to question if the Bruins can compete for a championship, saying that they won't be bowl-eligible despite having an easier schedule and a better roster than they had last season remains a questionable assumption.

Unlike having to play at LSU, the Bruins' hardest non-conference road trip is to UNLV, a team that has a new head coach and a new quarterback and has had to replace all of its star players from 2024.

As for the rest of their non-conference schedule, the Bruins play Utah and New Mexico, two very winnable games. Utah will be tough as it has a new offensive coordinator for the first time in over seven years.

The Utes' quarterback situation is murky at best, and it also won five games last season against inferior opponents. Plus UCLA will be at home.

New Mexico shouldn't be a challenge after it lost its head coach, starting quarterback and No. 1 pass-catcher this offseason. That's at least two wins right there.

UCLA, despite popular belief, should defeat Northwestern. The Wildcats were bad in 2024, they do not have a proper home stadium and UCLA showed it has the ability to walk into the Midwest and win during the 2024 season. If UCLA can beat Nebraska, it can beat Northwestern.

Penn State will be tough, but Drew Allar looked horrible against Notre Dame, and Penn State was exposed the last time it went out to Los Angeles. Don't write that in as a certain victory for the Nittany Lions.

Michigan State and Maryland should result in wins. Indiana will be tough to win at, but UCLA does have an understanding of its scheme after hiring Tino Sunseri. That's likely six wins out of those eight games right there.

Nebraska is going to be a bigger challenge than it was last year in Lincoln, but Nebraska has to play at the Rose Bowl, so keep that in mind.

Washington will be tough, but the Huskies are known to struggle on the road, and let's not act like USC did not get boat-raced against the Bruins the last time it played at the Coliseum. And that was with a Heisman quarterback for the Trojans.

So it's time to pump the breaks on the Bruins having another losing season when there is more than enough evidence to show UCLA will be a competitive force come fall. While nothing is guaranteed, let's hold the Bruins opponents to the same standards and intense scrutiny that the media has placed under Foster. Equal evaluations will paint a different narrative than the one being perpetuated.

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