I share your sentiments, Joe. UCLA never having played a FCS/Division II team was always a badge of honor for the UCLA football program, distancing itself from certain programs (Cough . . . SEC . . Cough) who routinely play one or more of these games every season. It is disappointing to see it happen. I imagine Michigan wimping out on the home and away series (Harbaugh is a jackwagon) and UCLA having a difficult time finding replacement games with already congested schedules helped make this occur. That having been said, if we are to lose this distinction, I am glad that it is against HBCUs considering UCLA's glorious history with legendary black athletes (Robinson, Alcindor/Abdul-Jabbar, Ashe, Joyner-Kersee, Rafer Johnson, to name a few), rather than just any other FCS team.
I share your sentiments, Joe. UCLA never having played a FCS/Division II team was always a badge of honor for the UCLA football program, distancing itself from certain programs (Cough . . . SEC . . Cough) who routinely play one or more of these games every season. It is disappointing to see it happen. I imagine Michigan wimping out on the home and away series (Harbaugh is a jackwagon) and UCLA having a difficult time finding replacement games with already congested schedules helped make this occur. That having been said, if we are to lose this distinction, I am glad that it is against HBCUs considering UCLA's glorious history with legendary black athletes (Robinson, Alcindor/Abdul-Jabbar, Ashe, Joyner-Kersee, Rafer Johnson, to name a few), rather than just any other FCS team.
I’m with you. It is disappointing.
I agree. If it does have to change, it's good that it will be against two HBCUs rather than, say, UC Davis like Southern Cal was going to opt for.