2007 UCLA Bruins College Football Predictions & Season Preview
June 6, 2008
UCLA entered spring practice with a starting quarterback for only the second time in coach Karl Dorrell’s five seasons with the Bruins. The highly touted Ben Olson beat out Patrick Cowan for the second time in eight months after missing the final eight games last season because of a knee injury. Jay Norvell, the former coordinator of Nebraska, takes over the UCLA offense. The Bruins will now utilize the shotgun formation more often in the West Coast offense to try and stretch the field a bit.
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Senior tailback Chris Markey rushed for 1,107 yards last season to go along with 35 catches. He is a dynamic back that Norvell will be looking to get the most out of this season. He runs behind a revamped line in which senior Chris Joseph moved from guard to center, and senior Noah Sutherland shifted from tackle to guard. Four returning starters will be the heart and soul of this offense.
Defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker molded a hard-charging, fast-playing unit last season that was responsible for the Bruins’ 13-9 upset of USC. The Bruins went from 116th nationally against the run from 2005 to 9th last season. The scoring defense dropped from 108 th to 39th. Those numbers could easily improve again considering 10 starters return. UCLA doesn’t have imposing size, but their speed easily makes up for it. End Bruce Davis is a senior who recorded 12.5 sacks last season using his speed and quickness to get around the corner of much larger offensive tackles.
Davis’ success this season could fall on the shoulders of fellow end Nikola Dragovic, who was limited last season after returning from reconstructive knee surgery. Davis will see plenty of double teams until Dragovic shows he can perform at a high level. Middle linebacker Christian Taylor is the head of the defense, but the strength will be the senior-laden secondary. Strong safety Chris Horton is a big-time hitter, and cornerback Trey Brown is consistent and reliable with 30 career starts under his belt. Senior cornerback Rodney Van and senior free safety Dennis Keyes round out this experienced unit.
The pressure of watching USC dominate year in and year out on the Pac-10 is getting heavy. With 20 returning starters, the time is now for UCLA. The Bruins might not be able to catch USC over the course of a nine-game conference schedule, but they easily have the talent to finish ahead of everyone else. A December 1st meeting at USC might have everything riding on it if the season goes as well as planned.
Odds to Win BCS:
Sportsbook:
40-1
Bodog:
50-1
BetUS:
+4000
Odds to Win Pac 10:
BetUS:
+675
