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What's Bruin: UCLA Looks To Avoid Vegas Glitz

Life for UCLA this weekend is simple.It's hotter than hell San Bernardino in Vegas. They're playing football on a field meant to look like a craps table. And, they must maintain their focus on football.

Bruin fans will want to see this a lot tonight.
Bruin fans will want to see this a lot tonight.
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning from Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada!

The trip into town yesterday could have been a little smoother, but wasn't too bad. The worst part was the 210 from the 134 interchange out to the 15. Once we got on the 15, it got a lot better and a lot hotter. The temperature on the way here went as high as 109. Then we hit a "cold" front where the temp dipped down to a manageable 90 degrees! Ha!

It was great meeting a bunch of BN members last night at Wildfire Valley View. Gene Karzen, Donovan Carter, Dietrich Riley and Aaron Hester dropped by to rep the Bruin Fan Alliance. It was a good evening seeing some old friends and making some n

ew ones. Big thanks and kudos go to BN member LVBruin who manages Wildfire Valley View for hosting us last night. Thanks so much!

Let's take a look at some of the news, shall we?

Chris Foster of the LA Times looks at the dangers and distractions UCLA can face in tonight's game. at the same time, he quotes a bunch of players talking about how they need to stay focused.

He quotes LB Deon Hollins saying that "this could be a trap game." But he finishes up with words of wisdom from "Coach" Jake Brendel:

People have their own opinion about games. Our opinion as a team is we just have to do our jobs.

Simple enough, but easier said than done.

Meanwhile, Jack Wang looks at the matchup on the LA Daily News website. Wang echoes the theme of the week -- focus -- as it pertains to Josh Rosen facing an opponent who is a four TD underdog. Wang writes:

[W]hile Sam Boyd Stadium is known more for its outdated amenities than its hostile crowds, the trip should nevertheless provide a measuring stick for Rosen’s progression.

Obviously, Jack did not get the memo about all the Bruin fans who have come to town for the game. Sam Boyd Stadium should have a hostile crowd tonight. But, the hostility may very well be directed to the home team due to the large number of Bruin fans expected to attend.

Want proof that a lot of Bruin fans are in town? In a 50-minute time span this morning, Caesar's Palace moved the point spread from -30 to -32, meaning people placing bets on the game at Caesar's are betting heavily on the Bruins.

Over at the OC Register website, Joey Kaufman has an article which discusses UCLA's need to maintain their focus. He also looks at the expected game time weather conditions and quotes Jim Mora as saying, "We're accustomed to that dry heat." That's an obvious reference to what the Bruins faced in San Bernardino, but even that can't totally prepare you for the harsher weather in Vegas.

In a separate article, Kaufman breaks down the various game matchups. In it, he gives UCLA the edge in every category, but one, intangibles, which he says is even. I've been saying it all week. This can become a trap game. If UCLA isn't focused on football when the game kicks off at 7:30, this could be much closer than anyone expects. Make no mistake, UNLV will be focused. Why? This is their game of the year. It's their bowl game. It's a chance to take out the 13th ranked team in the country in front of their home fans. They will be VERY motivated tonight.

How To Watch & Listen

Location: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Kickoff: 7:30 pm PT
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: 1150 AM in LA, 670 AM in Las Vegas, SiriusXM Channel 81 and, of course, the TuneIn player which will be in the Bruins Nation Game Thread later on today.

Gametime Weather

98 degrees, Mostly clear 19% humidity

Anyway, that wraps up the news this morning.

Here's a list of all games on tap today, some of which are already in progress.

Go Bruins!!!

Sat, Sept 12, 2015
8:30 AM PT
ESPNWatchESPN
South Florida at (11) Florida State
9:00 AM PT
SECNWatchESPN
Jacksonville State at (6) Auburn
9:00 AM PT
ABC
Oregon State at Michigan
9:00 AM PT
Army at Connecticut
9:00 AM PT
FS1FoxSportsGo
Kansas State at Texas-San Antonio
9:00 AM PT
BTNBTN2Go
Western Illinois at Illinois
9:00 AM PT
BTNBTN2Go
Bowling Green at Maryland
9:00 AM PT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Houston at Louisville
9:00 AM PT
ESPN2/ESPNU
Buffalo at Penn State
9:00 AM PT
ESPNNWatchESPN
Indiana State at Purdue
9:00 AM PT
ESPN2/ESPNU
Miami (OH) at Wisconsin
9:00 AM PT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Presbyterian College at Charlotte
9:30 AM PT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Wake Forest at Syracuse
9:30 AM PT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Appalachian State at (12) Clemson
10:00 AM PT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Howard at Boston College
11:00 AM PT
PAC12Pac-12 Live
Massachusetts at Colorado
11:00 AM PT
PAC12Pac-12 Live
Sacramento State at Washington
12:00 PM PT
FOXFoxSportsGo
UTEP at Texas Tech
12:00 PM PT
Liberty at West Virginia
12:00 PM PT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Monmouth at Central Michigan
12:30 PM PT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Murray State at Northern Illinois
12:30 PM pT
BTNBTN2Go
Hawaii at (1) Ohio State
12:30 PM PT
Austin Peay at Southern Miss
12:30 PM PT
CBSS
Minnesota at Colorado State
12:30 PM PT
FS1FoxSportsGo
Stephen F. Austin at (3) TCU
12:30 PM PT
ESPN2/ESPNU
Washington State at Rutgers
12:30 PM PT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Tulane at (15) Georgia Tech
12:30 PM PT
ABC
(9) Notre Dame at Virginia
12:30 PM PT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Furman at Virginia Tech
12:30 PM PT
CBSSEC Live
(10) Georgia at Vanderbilt
12:30 PM PT
ESPN2/ESPNU
Fresno State at (17) Mississippi
1:00 PM pT
SECNWatchESPN
Middle Tennessee at (2) Alabama
1:00 PM pT
SECNWatchESPN
Toledo at (18) Arkansas
1:00 PM pT
ESPNNWatchESPN
Eastern Illinois at Northwestern
1:00 PM pT
Eastern Michigan at Wyoming
1:30 PM pT
FOXFoxSportsGo
Iowa at Iowa State
2:00 PM pT
PAC12Pac-12 Live
San Diego State at Cal
3:00 PM pT
ESPNWatchESPN
(19) Oklahoma at (23) Tennessee
3:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
North Carolina Central at Duke
3:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
North Carolina A&T at North Carolina
3:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Eastern Kentucky at NC State
3:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Pittsburgh at Akron
3:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Delaware State at Kent State
3:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Western Michigan at Georgia Southern
4:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Northwestern State at Louisiana-Lafayette
4:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Nicholls State at Louisiana-Monroe
4:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Prairie View A&M at Texas State
4:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Charleston Southern at Troy
4:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Marshall at Ohio
4:00 PM pT
Norfolk State at Old Dominion
4:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
North Texas at SMU
4:00 PM PT
CBSS
(22) Arizona at Nevada
4:00 PM PT
ESPNUWatchESPN
Ball State at (16) Texas A&M
4:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
(21) Missouri at Arkansas State
4:00 PM pT
ESPN2WatchESPN
East Carolina at Florida
4:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Memphis at Kansas
4:30 PM pT
Central Arkansas at Oklahoma State
4:30 PM pT
FSNFoxSportsGo
Lamar at (4) Baylor
4:30 PM pT
SECNWatchESPN
Kentucky at South Carolina
5:00 PM pT
PAC12Pac-12 Live
Idaho at (8) USC
5:00 PM pT
ABC
(7) Oregon at (5) Michigan State
5:00 PM pT
BTNBTN2Go
South Alabama at Nebraska
5:00 PM pT
LHNWatchESPN
Rice at Texas
5:00 PM pT
BTNBTN2Go
FIU at Indiana
5:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Georgia State at New Mexico State
5:00 PM pT
ESPNNWatchESPN
Temple at Cincinnati
5:00 PM pT
ESPN3WatchESPN
Tulsa at New Mexico
6:15 PM pT
ESPNWatchESPN
(14) LSU at (25) Mississippi State
7:15 PM pT
ESPNUWatchESPN
San Jose State at Air Force
7:15 PM pT
ESPN2WatchESPN
(20) Boise State at BYU
7:30 PM pT
CBSS
(13) UCLA at UNLV
7:30 pM pT
FS1FoxSportsGo
UCF at Stanford
8:00 PM pT
PAC12Pac-12 Live
Cal Poly at Arizona State