UCLA vs. Oregon College Football Week 8: Storylines to Watch
No. 9 UCLA football (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) is scheduled to kick off its Week 8 game against No. 10 Oregon (5-1, 3-0 Pac-12) on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
The Bruins and Ducks are both coming off byes and long winning streaks, with the blue and gold beating back-to-back ranked teams while the hosts have yet to defeat a one-or-two-loss team this season.
Heading into the Week 8 matchup, here are the most pressing questions we want to have answered by the final whistle.
Can the Bruins adjust to a road environment?
For all the discussion surrounding the attendance at the Rose Bowl this season, UCLA has at least had more fans than its opposition in those games.
That won't be the case Saturday in Eugene.
The sold-out crowd of 54,000 will be loud, and the rain could play a factor as well. The Bruins had to actually travel to get to this game too, which is something they haven't had to deal with too much during their nine-game winning streak that dates back to the end of last season.
UCLA has played seven of its last nine games at home, and one of its road games was just across town at USC, who was 4-5 with an interim coach. The lone road game the Bruins have played this season was against 0-3 Colorado, which was just a week away from firing coach Karl Dorrell.
The last time UCLA beat a top-10 team on the road was at Texas in 2010, and that Longhorn team ended the year 5-7. Oregon, meanwhile, is legit. They are undefeated in conference play and are right alongside the Bruins in the AP and Coaches Poll top 10.
The Ducks are notably a 6.5-point favorite, and Pac-12 home favorites are 30-1 so far this season.
Between the travel, the weather, the crowd noise, the spread and all the other factors that come into play on big road trips like these, UCLA still has a lot to overcome in order to pull out the win.
Who will win the QB battle between Nix and DTR?
The Pac-12 has gotten much more Heisman attention this season, with quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson seemingly leading the way in national buzz. USC's Caleb Williams is right up there as well, while Washington's Michael Penix Jr. was a dark horse contender earlier in the year and still leads the conference in passing yards, touchdowns and completions.
Oregon's Bo Nix may not be looked at as a threat for the Heisman at the moment, but he too is putting up gaudy numbers and leading his team to wins.
The Auburn transfer is having a career year, completing 70.4% of his passes for 1,526 yards, 12 touchdowns, three picks and a 157.4 passer rating. In his three years as a starter in the SEC, Nix completed 59.4% of his passes with a 2.4 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a 126.2 passer rating, so he has clearly taken a massive leap in just one season.
Nix has also rushed for 349 yards and eight touchdowns on a career-high 8.5 yards per carry, making him a true dual-threat that will be tough to fully bottle up.
Thompson-Robinson has been padding his own stats this season, though, throwing for 1,510 yards and 15 touchdowns with two interceptions on 74.8% completion and a 180.6 passer rating. Adding in his 231 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, he too is an elite dual-threat weapon who has yet to be slowed down so far this year.
During UCLA's nine-game winning streak, Thompson-Robinson has gone for 306.3 total yards per game with 29 total touchdowns and five interceptions.
Whichever quarterback leads their team to a win will likely become the leader for Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, as well as the conference's top contender for the Heisman. There is obviously a lot more at stake than individual awards races Saturday afternoon, but it's hard not to pay attention to arguably the two biggest names taking the field Saturday going head to head.
Will Chip Kelly be able to change the narrative?
Kelly has been with the Bruins for five years now, but he is still mostly known for his days at Oregon.
That could officially change with a UCLA win Saturday afternoon.
For one, he has yet to beat his former team in three tries. To get that monkey off his back would be big, not only in terms of the conference standings and national rankings, but also for the broader narrative at hand.
This is the biggest stage the Bruins have played on since Kelly arrived, and the first game they've played as a top-10 team under his watch. A win would cement them as a serious College Football Playoff contender, and it could set UCLA up for a 10-0 start given the quality of opponents they have coming up.
A loss wouldn't sink the Bruins' season, and they would still be in a decent position when it comes to making the Pac-12 championship game by the end of the year. But falling short when the entire country's eyes are locked on you is not a great look, and it could lead to many dismissing UCLA moving forward as they have in the past.
On the other hand, the Bruins could officially declare themselves as "back" if they knock off the Ducks on Saturday, becoming a staple in the weekly national conversation for the first time since 1998. Kelly will have lifted a program stuck in mediocrity – admittedly sometimes at his own doing – back to its height, and maybe then people would start to think of him first and foremost as "Chip Kelly, UCLA head coach" before bringing up the Ducks, Eagles or 49ers.
Follow Connon on Twitter at @SamConnon
Follow All Bruins on Twitter at @FN_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook at @FN.AllBruins
Subscribe to All Bruins on YouTube
Read more UCLA stories: UCLA Bruins on Sports Illustrated
Read more UCLA football stories: UCLA Football on Sports Illustrated
