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Practice was closed to the media yesterday, but as we head into UCLA at Virginia Game Week, the news is still coming out daily.
Yesterday, we shared the elite expectations being set for this team. College Gameday shares these same expectations:
National Champion: @KirkHerbstreit - FSU over Alabama @DesmondHoward - UCLA over FSU Coach Corso - UCLA over FSU
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) August 23, 2014
#Pac12 Predictions: @KirkHerbstreit - UCLA @DesmondHoward - UCLA Coach Corso - UCLA
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) August 23, 2014
#Heisman Predictions: @KirkHerbstreit - Brett Hundley @DesmondHoward - Todd Gurley Coach Corso - Brett Hundley
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) August 23, 2014
Brett Hundley is trying to get used to hearing his name, getting interview requests, and people asking for pictures. The OC Reigster has a great article about Brett's life now as he gets ready for his last season at UCLA.
But what about the 21-year-old behind those expectations? What about the young man who actually shoulders that weight? Is he ready? A TV in the green room asks again – "Are you the best quarterback in America?" – and Hundley looks up from his phone and shrugs.
"What was I supposed to say?" he asks. "No?"
It touches briefly on his decision to return to UCLA:
Brett Sr. could see it in his son’s face back in December, when he came home during a break from school and they sat on his bed and, unprompted, Hundley revealed to his father that he wanted to return to UCLA. "I came here for a reason," he told him. A month later, Hundley started his return speech with the same six words.
It wasn't easy for Brett after the Sun Bowl, but he stuck to his original decision. As he said, he could have been a millionaire right now, but instead, he's the toast of college football.
In a bit of journalism that has probably riled the Southern and Middle part of this country, ESPN has been comparing the Pac-12 and the SEC to determine which is the better conference. Looking at QBs, the Pac-12 wins handily. On defense, it's the SEC. Recruiting? The SEC (based on ESPN rankings) when looking at the number of top 10 classes the last four years. Coaching? A push. The SEC has the titles, but the Pac-12 has the innovative coaches. We'll see you in January, SEC.
Finally, in UCLA transfer news:
Kylie Fitts will transfer to Utah. Ordinarily when a player transfers, they have to sit out one year, and when you transfer intra conference, you have to sit out a second year. Although not confirmed in this story, but he won his appeal regarding sitting out an extra year (and more than likely and hopefully UCLA did not challenge the transfer to Utah) and will be eligible in 2015.
Torian White will transfer to Hampton University, a HBCU. He's apparently excited to be transferring to Hampton and he's going to work even harder than he did at UCLA. Let's hope he can restart his career there - he will be immediately eligible.
Best of luck to these two former Bruins.
At this time next week, we'll be looking back to Virginia and looking ahead to Memphis. Go Bruins.