UCLA Football: Most Important Games on the Schedule for 2012

Believe it or not, but the start of the college football season is only about two months away.

For the UCLA Bruins, the 2012 season marks the beginning of the Jim L. Mora era. Optimism and excitement is high, but the product out on the field has to be markedly better than it has been.

If anything, the optimal goal should be consistency.  

Let's take a look at the five most important regular-season games for the Bruins in the upcoming year...

*Here is the entire 2012 schedule for the Bruins.

Nebraska Cornhuskers; September 8th

This big non-conference tilt pits the Bruins against the Big Red of Nebraska. 

Undoubtedly, a win against the Cornhuskers would be a feather in the cap of the new regime. Although it's only the second game of the season, a victory here could be a real launching point for the rest of the season

An ability to stop the run game of Nebraska will be key for the Bruins. Nebraska is led by the dynamic duo of quarterback Taylor Martinez and tailback Rex Burkhead.

The Bruins have to be cognizant of "staying home" defensively—especially when the speedy Martinez tries to get out on the perimeter via draws and option runs. 

An added subplot is that Martinez is from the Southern California originally. The Corona native will surely want to prove himself in front of family and friends at the Rose Bowl. 

This will most likely be a very competitive contest. If the Bruins can limit the Cornhuskers' success on the ground, it will force Nebraska to rely upon the arm of Martinez—something they don't necessarily want. 

The game will be played on September 8th at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The contest is slated for a 4:30 p.m. PT start time.

At California Golden Bears, October 6th

While USC is seen as UCLA's biggest rival, Cal is right up there with the Trojans.

With both schools being in the University of California school system, they are natural rivals. Both schools uphold prestigious academic standards, and they are unsurprisingly ranked as the two top public schools in the nation.

In fact, UCLA was founded as the sister school to Cal. Even their fight songs are virtually identical. 

Recently, the home team in this matchup usually wins—and has done so 11 out of the past 12 years. If UCLA wants to reside in the upper echelon of the conference, it's imperative that they start being competitive in Strawberry Canyon.

For one thing, they can make up for the trouncing in 2010, when the Golden Bears dismantled the Bruins 35-7 in Berkeley.

The Bruins haven't won in Berkeley since 1998. A victory here would not only signify a changing of the times, but it would lend to the notion that the Bruins are becoming a mentally tougher football team.

The game will be played on October 6th at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley.

At Arizona State Sun Devils, October 27th

Much like UCLA, the Sun Devils are in transition.

They've lost their starting quarterback, their entire linebacker corps, members of the offensive and defensive lines and many skill position players. 

In addition, they have a brand new coaching staff led by former Pitt coach Todd Graham. 

Last season, the Bruins outlasted ASU in a thrilling 29-28 game—one that the Sun Devils let slip out of the grasp via three missed field goals throughout the contest. 

UCLA doesn't traditionally play well in Tempe, but they should have a talent advantage in this game. The key will be limiting the success of tailback Cameron Marshall and making one of the Sun Devil quarterbacks—Michael Bercovici, Michael Eubank or Taylor Kelly—beat them.

This is the type of contest that UCLA has to win. With ASU breaking in a new quarterback, expect defensive coordinator Lou Spanos to bring the heat and attack regularly with pressure.

The game will be played on October 27th at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. 

Arizona Wildcats, November 3rd

Let's face it, the contest last year in Tucson got former head man Rick Neuheisel fired.

The lifeless and uninterested Bruins were absolutely blitzed by Arizona last season by a score of 48-12.

To make matters worse, Arizona had entered the contest 1-5 and had fired their head coach, Mike Stoops, the week before. Oh, and the game was nationally televised on ESPN. 

The team has to atone for their lack of effort last season in this contest. On paper, there's no question that the Wildcats should struggle to win more than four games this year.

Stud quarterback Nick Foles departed for the NFL, and the Wildcats will be breaking in a new system led by new head coach Rich Rodriguez.

The former West Virginia head man will make Arizona a threat eventually, but he needs time to reload the program. They are void of not only talent but, more pressingly, viable depth.  

UCLA needs to come out with a sense of purpose and pride in this contest. This game absolutely cannot be a loss if they want to be bowl bound. 

The game will be played on November 3rd at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

USC Trojans, November 17th

50-0.

Both fans of the Trojans and Bruins know what that scoreline means. Not only did USC pummel their crosstown rivals, but they took them out to the woodshed and whipped the Bruins mercilessly. 

The gap in talent between the programs isn't insurmountable by any means—but UCLA has a ways to go before they field a team with the overall quality of USC.

In this game, UCLA doesn't necessarily have to win, but they have to be respectable. Never would a team coached by Red Sanders or Terry Donahue roll over and take the wrath of such a spectacular beating.

This will be Mora's first taste of the rivalry, and it'll be incumbent upon himself and the staff that the team is ready to play.

This very well could be a battle of the top two teams in the South division, so there could naturally be a lot at stake. 

The game will be played on November 17th at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.