What's next -- It looks like coach Rick Neuheisel is going to haul in another highly rated recruiting class, but next year could be tough for the Bruins, starting with an absurd nonconference schedule -- at Kansas State, Houston and at Texas (message to AD Dan Guerrero: That's genius for a rebuilding program. Good job!). The offense only loses two starters, but most of the big names will be gone on defense -- it's a near certainty Price joins LB Reggie Carter, CB Alterraun Verner and the Bosworth brothers, LB Kyle and DE Korey, in the NFL draft. The Bruins could be much improved in 2010, but they may not dramatically upgrade the win-loss ledger.
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The non-con is definitely a kick in the pants
But perhaps that will be instructive to the to prepare for the high caliber teams we’re going to see in the Pac-10.
Go Bruins!
Forbath for MVP!!
Can’t really argue with the logic though. As far as the nonconference scheduling, aren’t those done many years in advance? Maybe I could ding DG for not knowing that the team would be worse after KD was done with it, but I don’t think it was as if he was trying to make things unnecessarily hard on CRN since those games were probably set before he was even hired.
IMO
Next year’s schedule is too tough regardless of whether the team is rebuilding or a national title contender. The college football system does not reward difficult schedules and we’re not only playing a difficult one, but possibly the toughest in the country. We’ll see if the K-State and/or Texas game hold though.
Formerly ryebreadraz
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Dec 9, 2009 1:11 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Was the Houston game a tough game when we signed on?
I don’t think the K State game was. I agree that this is going to be a brutal schedule, but if this was set in stone maybe 5 years ago, then @Texas would have been the only guaranteed tough game right?
K- State was solid, I believe
Very much like they are now. They’re beatable, but it’s not an easy game. Houston was signed either last year or the year before so yes, we knew what we were getting ourselves in to. That game is part of a 2 for 1 deal so we return one trip in exchange for two and is mainly to recruit Texas better. If you have Texas on the schedule though, K-State and Houston are no-no’s. You can have K- State and Houston on one schedule, but the third needs to be a patsy.
Formerly ryebreadraz
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Dec 9, 2009 1:34 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
If Houston was done last year
Then that’s undoubtedly a bad scheduling job. I’m not sure I agree about how good K State was supposed to be, but DG definitely knew Texas was on the schedule. I’m not seeing the purpose in playing Houston.
Before last season
That was in May, 2008. Houston was coming off a 8-5 record.
by SuperBruinMan on Dec 9, 2009 2:25 PM PST up reply actions
I heard we might play TCU in Arlington
Instead of KSU. That would make things only tougher.
That is being discussed
Formerly ryebreadraz
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Dec 9, 2009 1:34 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Imagine is we were to beat Texas!
I know I’m probably dreaming but that would be a GREAT momentum builder for the program.
I guess we could just schedule like Florida and play Southern International Troy University of Charleston Tech to get our win count up and then get blown out by Alabama to show what fakes we are?!?
Those fakes
are playing in a BCS bowl and will finish in the top 10 in the country, maybe top 5. I hate seeing teams playing nobodies, but if the system isn’t going to reward you for playing a difficult schedule, it’s tough to justify doing it. The LaGarrette Blount situation aside, don’t you think Oregon is wishing they didn’t play at Boise St.? Scheduling them could have cost them a shot at the title game and without that loss, they’re at least in the discussion throughout the year, giving them ridiculous national exposure.
Formerly ryebreadraz
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Dec 9, 2009 3:28 PM PST up reply actions
It's very true
I’ve never blamed LSU, Florida, Alabama or any of them for scheduling cupcakes. Their coaches know how to work the system, and good for them!
Until the system starts rewarding for tough schedules, why should a team make life difficult for themselves and risk a loss?
I’m actually kind of upset with DG for scheduling Texas, though it will be fun to watch. I don’t mind Kansas St, as they’re routinely a good, not great team. Good challenge with two well-known names. But in the Pac-10, where everyone has to play one more conference game than most other big-6 conferences – thereby lessening the chances for more winning records – it makes more sense to schedule cupcakes. At worst, an undefeated record will finish with a BCS bowl.
Here's to another
66 – 3 ROUT of the Longhorns in Austin!!!
by inhowlandwetrust on Dec 9, 2009 1:31 PM PST reply actions
Although you'd like to see a patsy scheduled in there
taking on a big time program (Texas) each year should be part of the schedule, as it is good for recruiting and national exposure. I doubt they though Houston would be where it is today when the planning was done, so I’m ok with it.
"If you don't take out his battery, he's going to keep going all day."
Loss of defensive starters
Until now, it hadn’t really soaked into my small brain just how much talent and experience we are losing on defense: 5 of our front 7 and our lock-down corner.
That leads to some pretty big questions regarding replacements, especially at the DT and LB spots. Should be very interesting to see who starts winning positions in spring ball.
But you don't get worse, either
It’s more than a scrimmage when you play a cupcake, but the likelihood is that your players can get smoother and more relaxed, and that they are not going to be physically beaten up.
I like our OOC schedule
It’s going to be rough, but UCLA always seems to do pretty well against even the toughest OOC opponents. In particular, I’m thinking of 2001 (I think) when we played #3 Alabama and then #3 Michigan (or maybe it was the other way around) and won both games. Unlike other teams in the Pac 10, we tend rise to the occasion.
Will 2010 be . . .
. . . our last rebuilding year?
Bleeding powderkeg blue and gold for 55 years. Go Bruins!
I LOVE the scheduling of Texas and Houston
We had a great recruiting pipeline to Texas when we were really good last decade, and I think playing in Austin can only help our profile in Texas. We have to schedule a marquee non-conference game because we don’t have the luxury of program capital when it comes to the pollsters.
Besides… I bet the Austin road-trip will be every bit as fun and memorable as the Tennessee roadie was this year.
the measure of the season
will be where we finish in conference. We have to win at least 5 conference games and 6 overall to count the season as progress.
"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"
With Risk Comes Reward
I think our non-conference schedule is a gamble that could pay huge dividends. While we have three very tough teams on our schedule, we also have: three opportunities raise the profile of the program; three oppotunities to have marque television coverage; and three opportunities to expand our recruiting base. This schedule shows a dedication to becoming an elite program.
If we win these three games the WWL and the rest of the country will have to take notice that our program is on the rise. This rigourous non-conference schedule will prepare our team for an even more rigourous pac-10.
Additionally, SEC coaches often lure the top recruits with the promise of the opportunity to showcase their talents against the best competition in the country (Whether true or not). With a schedule like this, CRN can top the SEC by saying not only do we play in a top conference, we schedule our non-conference games against the top teams from other conferences and not the Middle South Texas State A&M Techs of the world.
So what if it's tough!
Look, it’s not like we’ll be in contention for the national championship next year. Playing these tough games will be an incredibly positive experience for our team. And I wouldn’t give away any of those games, either. texASS (as my Oklahoma buddy calls them) will have a new QB, one who will have had almost no playing time in the last 3 years! They’ll still be very good, but our offense should be as well. It will be up to the defense in that one. Houston has no defense…so the question is, will we be able to outscore them (assuming Keenum is back). I think the Kansas State game will in fact be the toughest one, considering how they played us this year and the fact that they’ll have another year under Snyder.
Anyway, I am pumped, it will be great exposure and only good can come out of it as few will expect us to win any of those games.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Oaks Christian High's Malcolm Jones is Gatorade national football player of the year
“UCLA bound”, it says in LA Times.
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