UCLA Football: Bruins Land High on ESPN's Hardest Schedule List

According to ESPN, the UCLA Bruins have one of the hardest schedules in football this year.

Dec 16, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Collin Schlee (9) carries the ball against the Boise State Broncos during the first quarter of the Starco Brands LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

With new head coach DeShaun Foster and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, UCLA football is set for a resurgence after a decent season.

The Bruins finished with a passable 8-5 record, eventually winning the 2023 LA Bowl over Boise State. Obviously, Foster wants to improve on this to prove he belongs as the leader of UCLA football. However, that might be a difficult ask this year.

According to Nick Kosko of ESPN, the Bruins have the twelfth-most difficult schedule in the NCAA out of 134 teams. Even further, UCLA has the second-most difficult schedule in the Big Ten Conference, coming behind the Purdue Boilermakers.

Almost every team ahead of UCLA is in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The only exceptions are the aforementioned Boilermakers and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who play in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

So what is it that makes UCLA's schedule so difficult? Part of it is the switch to the Big Ten, a conference that is considered much tougher than the Pac-12. This includes the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Oregon Ducks, and the Washington Huskies, who made it to the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

Then there are the teams from the SEC, most notably the LSU Tigers, who have always been a difficult opponent for the Bruins.

ESPN's ranking of UCLA's schedule is similar to the one given by James Park of Sports Illustrated in July. In fact, Park actually believes that the Bruins have the eighth-most difficult schedule based on their opponents' win-loss record in the 2023 season.

Last year, all of the Bruins' 2024 opponents had a combined record of 99-59. That means they have won about 62.7 percent of their games.

While that percentage is intimidating, it's nothing compared to the Florida Gators, who both Kosko and Park agree have the most difficult schedule in the upcoming season. Not only are all of their opponents tough as nails, they boast a combined win-loss record of 106-50. That means they won about 67.9 percent of their games.

That being said, the Bruins face another factor that makes their schedule particularly difficult: travel. UCLA has the most strenuous travel schedule of any team this season, about 22,048 miles according to Bill Speros of Bookies.com. That's almost 5,000 miles more than the next most-traveled team.

Needless to say, the Bruins have their work cut out for them in 2024. Hopefully, Foster, Bieniemy, and quarterback Ethan Garbers step up and lead UCLA to greatness.

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