2009 UCLA NCAA Football Predictions
2008 was a season to forget for the UCLA Bruin football program and its fans. Head coach Rick Neuheisel and his Bruins finished just 4-8 in his first year on the job, including 3-6 in the Pac-10. If Neuheisel’s career 70-38 coaching record means anything, though, improvement should be right around the corner. Get my take on the upcoming season in this 2009 college football betting preview. UCLA is listed at +7500 to win the 2009 BCS Championship at Sportsbook.com.
Offense – There wasn’t much offense in Westwood last season as the Bruins averaged just 17.7 points per game to rank 109th in the nation. In fact, UCLA scored its fewest amount of points in a season since 1971. Redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince is all set to take over at quarterback this season and offensive coordinator Norm Chow is big on his strong-armed signal caller. The program expects Prince to be the next great UCLA quarterback before his career is over. Junior Christian Ramirez will strap his helmet back on at the running back position after sitting out 2008 due to academic deficiency. He’s a punishing runner at 6’2”, 220 pounds and has also proven to be a good pass blocker and receiver out of the backfield. The wide receiver unit is led by Terrence Austin. He pulled in 53 balls for 460 yards last season. Taylor Embree looks like a good one as well coming off a 40-catch season. The offensive line really hurt the Bruins last year and this unit still isn’t solidified. Behind it, UCLA only averaged 2.6 yards per rush in 2008.
Defense – The UCLA defensive line has the potential to be pretty good. Junior Brian Price is highly regarded as one of the top tackles in the country and senior Korey Bosworth is coming off a 7.5-sack season at the end position. Middle linebacker Reggie Carter leads the linebacker corps. He led the Bruins with 83 stops a season ago. This unit will get a boost from the return of Kyle Bosworth, Korey’s twin, who returns to action after redshirting due to a knee injury last season. The very talented Akeem Ayers will flank Carter also.
The UCLA secondary was its strength last season, helping the team hold its opponents to just 167.7 passing yards per game (8th nationally). While the team returns free safety Rahim Moore and cornerback Alterraun Verner, this unit is set to feature a pair of first time starters in corner Aaron Hester and safety Glenn Love. Expect opposing offenses to go after Hester religiously opposite veteran Alterraun Verner.
Prediction: 6th Pac-10 Conference – Neuheisel and his staff still need to bring in some quality recruits to bolster the offensive line, especially, but a favorable schedule could have the Bruins back bowling already if Neuheisel is able to work the magic we’ve seen from him in the past. UCLA is listed at +1000 to win the 2009 Pac-10 Championship at BetUS.
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Beat the college football odds all season long with Jimmy Boyd’s college football picks!
