Bruin Bites: Does UCLA vs. Texas A&M Have College Football Playoff Implications?

Good morning, Bruins fans! Are you excited for the start of football season yet? Well, this week, we’re going to get you pumped for the start of the season.

Football

Speaking of getting pumped up, our first item this morning is this video that UCLA has put out to do just that.

How big is this weekend’s game against Texas A&M? According to ESPN’s Ted Miller, it’s a big game because it has the possibility to affect the College Football Playoff at the end of the season. Miller argues that if UCLA wins the Pac-12 championship but loses to the SEC’s A&M, it could cost the Bruins a spot in the CFP.

That’s right. Only one game has been played by any teams so far this season and we’re already discussing playoffs. While we generally appreciate Ted Miller, we’ll let Jim E. Mora respond to his article for us.

Men’s Soccer

Switching from American football to futbol, the UCLA Men’s Soccer team defeated Cal State Fullerton last night in overtime by a score of 1-0. Brian Iloski scored the lone goal on a penalty kick in the 95th minute.

Despite the win, Bruin coach Jorge Salcedo was not happy about his team’s play. Salcedo said:

Tonight was not a good performance by our team. We weren't able to really execute anything we looked to do throughout the field. We did a poor job in our decision-making, our speed of play, our speed of thought was all off....It was one of those nights where the opponent probably should have won the game. We were in many ways fortunate, but we know that those things at the end of the day sort themselves out. We've all been a part of games where you shouldn't win and you win or you shouldn't lose and you lose. Tonight was just one of those nights.

Women’s Soccer

Speaking of overtime, the UCLA Women’s Soccer team lost to Florida on Sunday, 4-3 in OT. The game-winning goal for the Gators came after a cross by Savannah Jordan deflected off two Bruin players and then into the back of the net.

But, the game marked the UCLA debut for Canadian Olympian Jessie Fleming who scored two of the Bruins’ three goals in the game.

Women’s Volleyball

The UCLA Women’s Volleyball team had a great start to the season. They won all three of their matches in the LMU Invitational and lost only one set over those three matches. That included defeating the 21st-ranked LMU Lions, who had beaten the Bruins in their previous two matches.

One of the student-athletes who really stood out over the weekend was Jennie Frager who earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors. Frager had 28 kills and only one error in 48 attempts in the three matches. That was good for a .562 hitting percentage.

Go Bruins!