UCLA Football: Pac-12 Media Anticipates Sixth-Place Finish for UCLA in Conference

The UCLA Bruins first football game of the season is just over a month away, and excitement fills the air in Pasadena. This season will mark the last year that UCLA is a member of the Pac-12 conference before they head over to the Big-10 in 2024.

So the Bruins would love to make some noise in the conference and shock some people. They have a good team, but not many see them as a real threat to win it. Most either have the Bruins cross-town rival in USC or Washington, winning the conference.

So where should Bruins fans expect the team to finish this season?

Well, if you listen to the Pac-12 media, then the Bruins will come in sixth place within the Pac-12. Members of the media voted on who they think will come out on top, and the Bruins were well behind the projected first-place Trojans.

“The media has correctly selected the Conference Champion in 33 of 62 previous preseason polls, including six times in the 12-year FCG era.”

Per 247Sports.com

For UCLA to change this projection, they will need a total team effort. They still have Chip Kelly as the head coach, and he should be able to maximize their offense. But their freshman quarterback will likely make or break the season.

Dante Moore is a very accurate quarterback who can stand tall in the pocket, which is needed to succeed in college. He flipped his commitment over to the Bruins from Oregon, and he will look to take charge from day one. Moore can be the guy for UCLA and will have an early test in his college career as the team travels to face Utah within the first few weeks of the season.

Other than the Utes, UCLA has a relatively easy schedule this season. They avoid playing both Oregon and Washington, plus they will be welcoming Colorado and Arizona State to Pasadena. They do have to travel to Oregon State and then take on the Trojans later in the season as well.

But the schedule looks promising for them and could work in their favor. If they can grab the win over the Utes early on in the season, it could serve as a building block for the year, and the Bruins could have a very successful year.