After three bad years, Chip Kelly finally had a breakthrough season in 2021. The UCLA Bruins went 8-4 last year, but Kelly still has yet to lead this program in a bowl game as they had to cancel their Holiday Bowl appearance due to a COVID outbreak. Now, the question is whether or not Kelly can continue to move this program forward. The Bruins are seen as the third-best team in the Pac 12 South by most analysts, behind a strong Utah and a resurgent USC under Lincoln Riley.
Regular Season Wins for UCLA Bruins
Over 8.5 +105
Under 8.5 -125
UCLA didn’t win more than four games in any of Kelly’s first three seasons. The Bruins were 10-21 under Kelly heading into last year, and he was on the hot seat given the team’s lack of success. That hot seat has cooled off, but UCLA can’t afford to regress too much if Kelly wants to establish a crosstown rivalry with Riley. UCLA is 2-2 against USC under Kelly, and the Bruins hammered the Trojans 62-33 in the LA Coliseum last season.
Roster
Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been with Chip Kelly since the very beginning. DTR has been the starting quarterback of UCLA since 2018, and he might be the most experienced quarterback in the country heading into the 2022 season with 35 starts in his career. He had the best season of his career in 2021, completing 62.2% of his passes for 2,409 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. DTR was named First Team All-Pac 12 as he was a dangerous runner too with 609 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
Second Team All-Pac 12 running back Zach Charbonnet is back too. Charbonnet was the top runner on the team last year with 1,137 yards and 13 touchdowns, and he averaged 5.6 YPC. However, the ground game might not be as good as it was last year with just two returning starters up front. UCLA brought in Rutgers offensive lineman Raiqwon O’Neal to shore up one of the tackle spots, but there isn’t a lot of depth here. Sam Marrazzo and Siale Taupaki have a good deal of pressure on them after missing last year due to injury.
The three leading receivers from last year have all departed the program. Kam Brown and Kazmeir Allen are the top returning options, and Jake Bobo is expected to be the underneath threat after transferring in from Duke. This offense is unlikely to be as explosive as it was last year though with just five returning starters on this side of the ball.
UCLA has some major concerns on defense with just two returning starters from last year. The Bruins had their best season on this side of the ball under Kelly yet in 2021 with 10 returning starters, but they are going to take a significant step back.
The defensive line could be an absolute disaster. There are only a couple highly touted recruits, and UCLA brought in two transfers from North Texas, a transfer from Duke, and a transfer from Harvard. This unit is being totally rebuilt, and the lack of depth is readily apparent.
Hawaii transfer Darius Muasau is expected to start at inside linebacker, and Wyoming transfer Azizi Hearn is expected to be one of the starters in the secondary. First-year defensive coordinator Bill McGovern is going to have his work cut out for him.
Schedule
The Bruins should have no trouble winning their three non-conference games against Bowling Green, Alabama State, and South Alabama. UCLA stands a decent chance of starting the season 5-0 as the Bruins travel to Colorado and face Washington in their first two conference games, but things have the potential to go off the rails after that point. They have to play Utah, Oregon, and Stanford in October, and they will be underdogs at home against USC. Still, UCLA only has four road games, and Oregon is the only game where the Bruins will certainly be underdogs.
Prediction
As with their crosstown rivals, UCLA has a very manageable schedule, but the Bruins have too many questions. The defense is going to be a work in progress for much of the season, and they have the potential to drop games they shouldn’t due to the lack of talent and depth in the trenches. UCLA will get back to a bowl game, but this team is likely going to win just seven or eight games.
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