UCLA Football: Game Time Set for Bruins Showdown Against Pac-12 Powerhouse

This contest between UCLA and Utah should be a great one...

UCLA and Utah are on the path to a head-on collision next week.

Assuming the Bruins and Utes take care of business during the final week of the non-conference schedule, both teams will be ranked heading into a massive Pac-12 clash. 

Speaking of which, the powers that be came out with a scheduling time for the game: 

🚨 Game Time Announcement 🚨

Our game at Utah on Sep. 23 will kickoff at 12:30 PM PT and air on FOX. #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/mgSAqE1osi

— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) September 11, 2023

The Week 4 showdown is slated to kick off at 12:30 p.m. PT on Sept. 23rd. It will be a nationally televised game, appearing on FOX. 

There's going to be some considerable hype surrounding this game. For one, both teams figure to be jockeying with one another for positioning within a suddenly strong conference. 

UCLA beat the Utes last year at the Rose Bowl in a relatively sound fashion. Utah will surely want to exact revenge on the Bruins -- though both teams are somewhat different from a year ago. 

Despite losing Zach Charbonnet and Dorian Thompson-Robinson to the NFL, many view this UCLA team as the best Chip Kelly has had since taking over the job. The same can be said for Kyle Whittingham's bunch, a squad that has been dealing with a plethora of injuries throughout the first two weeks of the season. 

Speaking of which, star QB Cam Rising has yet to feature this year after dealing with a knee injury suffered in January's Rose Bowl loss to Penn State. 

Week 3 CFB lineup is a dud.

Week 4 is ... spectacular.

* No. 6 Ohio St at No. 9 ND
* No. 3 FSU at Clemson
* No. 18 Colorado at No. 13 Oregon
* No. 10 Bama at No. 17 Ole Miss
* No. 25 Iowa at No. 7 Penn St
* No. 24 UCLA at No. 12 Utah
* No. 23 Wazzu at No. 16 Oregon St.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) September 11, 2023

Though it's inconclusive, most expect Rising to be back for the UCLA game. While he's a fantastic player, there's a worry over whether he'll be rusty. Being thrust into action against a very good front seven is no easy task. 

Duly, one has to wonder how Rising will fare coming off the knee procedure. Much of his game is predicated upon running the football. How much will he be asked to do so in his first game back? 

These are all tantalizing questions to analyze as week forward to the game less than two weeks from now.