UCLA Football Prepares for Persistent National Spotlight in 2010

Although football fans in Westwood have long since come to terms with the notion that UCLA is currently the second-best college football program in Los Angeles, the Bruins have made great strides in overall improvement to their team.

From the experienced coaching staff, to the respected defense (ranked third in the Pac 10 Conference in 2009) to their impressive recruiting class (ranked eighth in the nation by Rivals.com), UCLA has nabbed the attention of television network executives as a hot program to watch.

ESPN has selected three Bruin matchups to televise while rival cable network Fox Sports, as well as ABC will each broadcast two more.

This announcement by the networks illustrates that UCLA is a trendy team on the rise. Whether the reasons to watch are legitimate (overall improvement in the program) or gimmicky (Johnathan Franklin’s participation in Baldwin Hills, a reality show on BET, or NFL fans tuning in to see if third-string WR Jerry Rice Jr. is anything like his Hall-of-Fame father), both Bruin fans, as well as the ESPN/ABC family of networks are unusually excited about UCLA’s upcoming 2010 season.

Let’s take a look at which games are scheduled for broadcast, the scheduled broadcast time, and which network is slated to televise the event.

UCLA at Kansas State: Sept. 4 (ABC)

The Bruins begin their season in Manhattan, Kansas on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 12:30pm PST. This game, televised by ABC, will likely feature the debut of UCLA’s Revolver offense, and should make for an engaging watch.

UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero made an agreement with the Big 12 Conference to schedule a game against two of their teams. While Kansas State is not exactly the crème-de-la-crème of the Big 12, the Wildcats should have an axe to grind in a revenge match-up when they attempt to atone for last season's 23-9 defeat at the Rose Bowl.

UCLA vs. Stanford: Sept. 11 (ESPN)

Although Stanford will be without Heisman-Trophy-runner-up in Toby Gerhart, the Cardinal will still showcase big talent and the necessary schemes to give opposing coaches headaches.

This game will not only be UCLA’s home opener, but will also be their Pac-10 opener. As Stanford finished an impressive 8-5 in 2009 (5-4 conference record, good for fourth in the Pac 10), they are not afraid to take on anyone. They beat conference champ Oregon last season, and gave Sam Bradford’s Oklahoma squad a run for their money in the Sun Bowl.

Finally, this game features a match-up of two young but experienced quarterbacks in Andrew Luck (pictured) going against UCLA's Kevin Prince.

Although this primetime matchup is scheduled to take place in mid-September, it will already have major postseason implications for two conference rivals, each with expectations of returning to bowl games.

UCLA vs Houston: Sept. 18 (Fox Sports Net)

Bruin Nation is hoping that their team doesn’t take the University of Houston football squad lightly, as this matchup has “trap game” written all over it.

UCLA’s pass defense, which ranked 28th in the nation last year, will be put to the test by beastly QB Case Keenum (pictured), who led the nation in passing in 2009 with 5671 yards.

Although Houston presents a difficult match-up for UCLA’s pass rush and secondary, the Bruins may get caught looking ahead to the following week.

UCLA at Texas: Sept. 25 (ABC)

Say what you will about the marked improvement across the Pac-10 Conference. The Bruins have a hard enough schedule playing the likes of USC, Oregon, Stanford, and Jake Locker’s Washington squad in 2010.

In addition to this gauntlet of opponents, Sept. 25 presents an unusual opportunity when the Bruins play a game that could officially put their program on the national football map for the next several years...that is, if they somehow emerge victorious.

Earlier this year, Texas lost the BCS Championship game to Alabama by a score of 37-21. In spite of their defeat, the Longhorns are again perennial contenders for the National Championship, and should dominate their conference.

With many Big 12 homers who mock the Pac-10 expected to be in attendance at Darrel K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium that Saturday, one successful afternoon from the Bruins could shut up many a Longhorn fan, and could serve as UCLA’s coming out party as a national contender.

In reality, the Bruins will likely be a double-digit underdog. UCLA at least has the defense to hang with some of the most explosive offenses in college football—and they'll need it against Texas.

UCLA at Oregon: Oct. 21 (ESPN)

The Bruins let a huge but winnable game slip through their fingers the last time they faced the Ducks on Oct. 10, 2009. Considering the margin of victory in last year’s match-up was comprised of an INT return for a TD as well as a 100-yard TD kickoff return, this 24-10 defeat last year at the Rose Bowl left a bitter taste for Bruin Nation.

Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010 is a day when returning Bruins will seek redemption in a match-up they felt they should have won a year ago.

Given Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli’s season-long suspension for being an outright knucklehead, UCLA will luck out yet again and avoid facing the multi-talented threat under center.

The Bruins, however, will have to travel north to Autzen Stadium and deal with the typically spirited Oregon home crowd.

UCLA at Washington: Nov. 18 (ESPN)

The Huskies’ vaunted passing game is likely to challenge FS Rahim Moore and the rest of the Bruin secondary when UCLA and Washington square off in the Bruins' second Thursday Night game of 2010.

Jake Locker (pictured) is already considered by many pundits to be the No. 1 overall selection in the 2011 NFL draft, but the Bruins could damage Locker’s lofty draft status if they can shut him down for one Thursday evening in Seattle.

Although UCLA will have their hands full with the talented QB, they’ll need to maintain a consistently furious pass rush to throw off Locker's timing, and execute a ball-control offense with the running game while keeping the elite quarterback off the field.

UCLA at Arizona State: Friday, Nov. 26 (Fox Sports Net)

While UCLA/Arizona State hardly makes for a five-star match-up, the fact that this nationally-televised game is scheduled for the day after Thanksgiving lends credence to the notion that UCLA is a program on the rise that attracts casual viewers.

Since UCLA will again have a national audience, the Bruins will need to treat this game as more than simply a warm-up for their following game against longtime rival USC on Dec. 4.