College Football Rankings: Projected top 25 for 2017
UCLA Bruins
Last week: 4-8 Record
The running joke during the college bowl season was that Notre Dame went 4-8. Another team with lofty expectations in 2016 also came down to a crashing 4-8 end. In some ways, UCLA was an even bigger disappointment than Notre Dame. At the start of the season, there was the talk of a UCLA run to the college football playoff and a possible Heisman run for QB Josh Rosen. None of which happened and Rosen didn’t even last the whole season.
Now, entering the 2017 season and UCLA has a much bigger uphill battle in the Pac-12 South Division. UCLA loses a lot on defense and will have its third offensive coordinator in as many seasons with Michigan’s Jedd Fisch heading to Westwood this season. So how exactly does a 4-8 team crack the way-too-early Top 25?
Coach Jim Mora Jr. and his staff have loaded up on recruits the last few seasons so there is depth, especially on defense. One positive sign for the Bruins is that there’s going to be some separation from USC and the rest of the division. While that may seem like a bad thing, it’s a golden opportunity for UCLA to pass Colorado as the second best team in the division. UCLA will need a bowl bid in 2017 or Jim Mora Jr’s time in LA could be ending quickly.