UCLA Football News: Expert Picks UCLA's Most Important Conference Battle in September

An early test for the Bruins!

Six weeks into the 2022 college football season, the UCLA Bruins looked the part of a potential championship contender. They had just defeated the Utah Utes, who were a favorite to win the Pac-12 conference among many analysts, by a score of 42-32 at the Rose Bowl and were headed to a well-deserved bye week. But then everything broke for the Bruins.

They were defeated by the Oregon Ducks in their next game and finished the season with a 3-4 record. All the hope that came from the first part of the season was gone, and the team was left feeling defeated. But the beauty of sports is that there is always a new year, and the Bruins are looking ahead to the new season.

The Bruins have a nice schedule in 2023, but one game really stands out for them. Jessie Simonton of on3.com labeled the biggest conference game for each Pac-12 team, and he named the Bruins September matchup with the Utah Utes as theirs. 

"UCLA doesn’t draw Oregon or Washington on the schedule, and the back-half of its slate includes five very winnable games plus a crosstown trip to play at USC. If the Bruins can go to Salt Lake City and beat Utah — something they did for the first time in five years in 2022 — then they could be set up to make a real push for spot in the title game the second half of the season." 

Per on3.com

If the Bruins can take down the Utes early on in the year, it would go a long way for them. Getting a big road win on the resume could boost this team's chances and would give the team confidence going forward. 

Utah is once again being seen as one of the favorites in the conference, so beating them would give UCLA the advantage if the teams finished with a similar record. The Bruins want to start building this program up, and beating teams like Utah will do just that for them.

They won nine games last season, but to be taken seriously, UCLA needs to at least match that or surpass that total. Pilling on the early victories gives them some cushion, and we could very well see them in Las Vegas for the conference title game if they can take down Utah.