..seems like the Bruins' 2026 schedule is not as rocky as the 2025 one was, Also, with the addition of a bona fide top notch coach, his two sidekicks, and any number of portal transferrees from JMU (or elsewhere), there's an excellent chance to pick off a few stragglers in the herd..maybe a bowl bid and a few surprises?
..here's the '26 schedule with opponents '25 records:
09/05 at California Golden Bears (7-6)
09/12 San Diego State Aztecs (9-4)
09/19 Nevada Wolf Pack (3-9)*
TBA at Maryland Terrapins (4-8)*
TBA at Michigan Wolverines (9-3)
TBA at Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-5)
TBA at Oregon Ducks (12-1) (Revenge for "Da Chez"?)
TBA Illinois Fighting Illini (8-4)
TBA Michigan State Spartans (4-8)*
TBA Purdue Boilermakers (2-10)*
TBA USC Trojans (9-3) (Ditto for revenge?)
TBA Wisconsin Badgers (4-8)*
..certainly a lot more optimism than going into '25 with DSF and the gauntlet we faced.
..yeah, but there are some chinks in the schedule that might yield up some pleasant surprises! Being an ancient codger from the Pleistocene era, my freshman year as a Bruin (1964), we suffered with Billy Barnes[mell] as our coach (4-6-0, 13-34 to the Toe Jams) and our savior, Tommy Prothro (PBUH) arrived from a stint at the Nogero Etats and who went 8-3 in his last year there and went 8-2-1 and 20-16 versus the Toe Jams* in his first year at UCLA.
In case you're not counting, Tommy took the Beaves to the Rose Bowl in 1964 and the Bruins in 1965 -- back to back seasons at two different schools.**
He also got Terry Baker the Heisman in 1962 and Gary Beban in 1967.
Chez as the smell of Prothro and Dick Vermeil all over him, in my humble opinion!
..Hurry up September!
*Legendary Beban bombs and Grider onside kick recovery in last four minutes!
Those were TBA but I believe the order infers 09/26 through 10/31 with a bye in there somewhere. Still in all, it might toughen them up enough to "steal" a "W" or two. in that skein.
I think the TBAs are listed with the away games grouped in alphabetical order by opponent then the home games grouped in alphabetical order by opponent- unless that's a crazy coincidence and we'd end the season against Bucky Badger instead of just $c... 🙂
So, do you think I was correct (above) when I said there are some opportunities to get a decent record with this schedule? Ironically, Da[Cal]Bearz opener will be a character builder and an interesting game to watch!
Th ebone crusher pair will be at the end but even there, Michigan is reeling over their coach's firing/imprisonment/capitol execution/whatever and, of course, the ultimate revenge motive for us versus the Toe Jams!
50/50, mostly because I think UCLA has running backs that can do what Knight does already, they just need a competent offensive line. I think you’d be more likely to see UCLA bring in linemen on both sides (and also receivers) than paying a potential premium for Knight.
Which isn’t to say UCLA shouldn’t consider bringing in night, I just don’t think he’s high up the list of priorities.
If the Dukes of Madison's 2nd-half performance in their CFP 1st-round defeat can be replicated here by the JMUcla coaching staff, then I think they're going to quickly extinguish the current dumpster fire and eventually rebuild the football program to be highly competitive for the first time in quite a while.
I'll assume that JMU's level of NIL fundraising was far less than UCLA's this past season (by exactly how much, I don't know). Yet, HC Chesney and his staff were able to recruit and create a roster that was competitive enough to get them into the CFP and outplay the lame Ducks for one half. Having more NIL resources available at UCLA will certainly help him construct a talented roster that can compete right away, but I think the recruiting, development, and leadership abilities of the JMUcla coaching staff are just as important. I see our crosstown rival getting more NIL funding and top talent at every position, yet they're still perennial underachievers with their current HC (more than happy to see them lose their toilet bowl game to TCU!). And a nice thank you to D'Anton Lynn for leaving U$C--hope Alex Grinch can come back to his old job (lol).
Well, there's no doubt that the last two JMU coaches have been successful. Cignetti was 21-6 at JMU and then went on to turn Indiana into the #1 team in the nation and had a record of 24-2 over the last two years.
Chez followed him at 21-6 over two seasons and took teensy weensy little JMU into the CFP this past season.
Joe…….Fantastic article breaking down the history and successes of our coordinators. I love the attacking style/philosophy that Hitschler has implemented in the past. If we can bring in some athletic front seven personnel, his scheme could be very impactful.
Not as convinced about Kennedy’s offensive philosophy last year (RPO read based); I’d rather not see Nico as a regular part of a run-centric RPO offense. He would surely do well the first few games, but that offense fit the sturdier runners Kennedy had in QB’s Sluka and Barnett III. Nico has much greater arm talent to utilize than either of those QB’s and my concern would be that including Nico in the regular running portion of that offense would nick him up to such an extent that he would miss some games.
Fortunately, your thorough history on Kennedy shows that he has in the past been exposed to offensive approaches that adapt to the type of athlete he has as a QB (Florida ran a straight drop-back/shotgun, spread offense with Kyle Trask that got him drafted in the 2nd round). I am hopeful Kennedy incorporates a style of offense that unlocks the potential of Nico as a passer and limits his running to an occasional quarterback draw or counter; roll outs with a run/pass option and his “off schedule” scrambles when a pass play breaks down.
You likely already saw the story below, but these hires appear to be very good. Chez is doing a nice job combining his trusted coaches from JMU and before with Holy Cross and Assumption, with staff and coaches that know the West Coast and can greatly help with backyard recruiting...
Man, those Trogans are terrible. How could we have possibly lost to them! We'll all is good; we have a great new coach and to add on to this series of good new, the Trogans lose again.
You could not ask for a better ending... 3rd and 20 in overtime. Back-up QB Seals hits RB Payne on a short pass, and Payne leaves suc's defense in the dust 🤣 and scores! 💜
D'Anton Lynn is more "Karma" for Riley as Penn State poached him from SC just like SC poached Lynn from UCLA; and it happens as Lynn is coming upon his all important “third year” with the program, where the biggest jump in player and scheme development is supposed to take place. In addition, none of the returning or recruited players are familiar with whatever scheme the new DC will install, whether they will fit that scheme or know where they stand in the coach’s mind as the style of player he wants at their position. For all they know, he may “portal” right over them with his style of players. Again T, “…couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.”
💯 Lynn is Karma and actually he was not all that amazing at suc. I think our new DC Hitschler will be much better, imho. So win for us in the long run.
I am not all that impressed with Penn State's Matt Campbell so we will see how they do next year but what a cluster dumpster fire their coaching search was 🤣 I thought Donut Head Jelly 2.0 was bad but Pat Kraft is worse.
And dear little Lincoln whining over how Notre Dame refused to play 'anytime, anywhere' and therefore the suc vs ND game is gone, is classic Riles... so immature, feckless and entitled.
I believe the only reason that suc didn't want to play ND is because they simply can't beat them and were afraid to lose and harm their precious reputation even more, if possible. And the inevitable getting 'tarmac'd' would be enacted.
suc has to be operating on the all time loser level and it's entirely 🤣
Penn State's hiring process was an absolute CF but don't underestimate how good Matt Campbell has been doing more with less. Iowa State has always been in the shadow of not only Iowa but Oklahoma and Nebraska while they were all in the Big 8/12 and last won a conference title in 1912 - it's a place where, traditionally no one wins and the "good" coaches they have - Johnny Majors and Earle Bruce come to mind - start there before going on to other, bigger jobs and successes... let's just say, there aren't a whole lot of Brock Purdy's and Breece Hall's and top 25 rankings in their football history before Campbell's tenure. It remains to be seen how he does in a pressure cooker like Penn State but, for such a tirefire of a process, they ended up doing better than perhaps they should have...
I was thinking about how Chesney did so much more at JMU, Holy Cross, Assumption and Salve Regina with far less than what Iowa State had to work with...
So that's why I am not all that impressed with Campbell, but I could be wrong of course!
Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy with and optimistic about our hiring of Chesney and his staff - but, respectfully, it's not a mutually exclusive situation... in the 90 seasons AP has ranked teams, Iowa St has 12 wins against top 10 teams... Campbell has 4 of those 12 in a decade. Two top 12 finishes at the Midwest equivalent of Wazoo (and not a whiff of scandal) - Penn St did better than their process deserved
Agreed Clio, how Penn State landed safely on their feet after this fall from 10 stories high is nothing short of a miracle. I always wondered why Campbell had never left before. Over the past 5 years he has always been mentioned as "a top candidate" for a top ten coaching vacancy. Maybe the pressure cooker is why he never left, until now.
Widdle Lincoln sounds like someone trying to convince himself and his friends that his ex who left him wasn't the best thing that ever happened to him and "he's fine... just fine, damnit!" while he pulls his TV dinner out of the microwave as everyone else, including his ex, is out celebrating New Years Eve and enjoying themselves. So sad - you aren't convincing anyone, son.
One of the great memories I have is my father, older brother and me going to the SC v Notre Dame game at the Coliseum every other year to cheer on the Irish. Too much fun. All I can say is that as a college football fan, IMHO, petulant children must be calling the shots for both programs to throw away a long-standing nationally recognized rivalry game like this. I don’t pay much attention to what Keyshawn Johnson has to say, but it was tough to miss his recent “torching” of Lincoln Riley on this issue.
I always cheer for ND to beat suc! KJ rant is a bit inarticulate 🤣 but what is clear, is suc is suc-ing more that it has ever suc'd and canceling this rivalry is a cluster dumpster fire move.
Here's what I think...
Liddle Lincoln has the 'best' recruiting class coming in next season according to number of *s. If suc doesn't go the CFP, he will likely be forced to exit. But then again, the suc AD sounds like quite a feckless coward, so we will see how it unfolds.
However, it will be glorious to watch the sucsters implode if their beloved football program falls into darkness, and Chez and the Bruins rise to the sky's blue and gold light!
I couldn't agree more, p1 - its part of College Football losing its soul. There's an epidemic of petulant children these days... Bedlam, Iron Skillet (SMU-TCU), even Texas-aTm for over a decade until Texas jumped into the SEC - let alone we no longer play Berkeley-Northern Extension nor Stanfurd... I'm glad that the mega-conferences at least have recognized at least some "protected rivalries" within their bloated memberships - but choosing to keep it going as Washington-Wazoo and Oregon-OSU have done (or UCLA-zona basketball) is worthy of praise if increasingly rare these days.
Losing its soul indeed......I guess if Chez does a great job and we start dominating SC as we did in the 90's or in the Mora-Hundley days, Riley and this new SC admin will want to dump us as a yearly rivalry game too!
HC Riley (Clay Helton 2.0) is doing a great job of achieving a #1 ranking in recruiting, but the same can't be said about his coaching performance at U$C. Only a 35-18 record (.660) and 2-2 in toilet bowl (no CFP) games over 4 seasons so far. That's comparable to former HC Helton's 46-24 record (.657) and 2-3 in toilet bowl games over the previous 8 seasons. Fart On, U$C!
And what a strange post-game quote from HC Riley after blowing it in OT: "This place is doing all the things you need to do to bust that door down, and I really believe a window here has opened up. It’s taken a lot of effort and commitment from a lot of people over four fun but challenging years to get it open, and it’s open now.”
I think if U$C doesn't make the CFP next season, he's going to be thrown out that open window.
How ironic would it be it Ole Miss goes on to win the CFP with Kiffin walking away from his most successful team of his career? Don't see him matching this success at LSU.
Agreed Gen2. We assume that he left Ol’ Miss to go to LSU because he thought he could never obtain the players he needed to win a National Title at the former. It seems he may have had those players right under his nose. That was college football drama at its zenith last night watching these two teams compete. I was rooting for Ol’ Miss just because of all the chaos they had (and continue to) overcome to get there. I’d love to see them win it all just to see this irony of ironies play out, but after watching yesterday, I find it hard to believe that anyone will be able to derail the train that Cignetti has built as it rolls down the tracks toward the Title.
I agree Indiana looks to be unstoppable, but most thought that was Georgia before last night as well. At this point, you have four really good teams, and anything can happen. As Cignetti said last night, "It's really hard to beat a good team twice in a year", of course this is a new year! Lol Anyway, I'd love to see Ole Miss at least in the final, but that Miami defense is really good, scary good. So, it will most likely be Indiana and Miami in the finals with Indiana winning a close one in the Championship game. But one thing that I really like about this year's CFP... No Ohio St, No Michigan, No Notre Dame, No Alabama and No Georgia. With the exception of Oregon, these are all relatively new teams in the semi's.
I, too, think I'd be great to see Pete Golding join the "Steve Fisher Club" of winning a national championship taking over for a coach who never actually won anything and bailed as the tournament started and watching Chambliss scramble around and try to avoid those two Miami edge rushers is going to be fun... but I think it's quite possible Miami and Oregon might very well have hammered Alabama as well... it should be noted that the SEC is only 2-5 in the postseason if you don't count inter-conference matchups (4-7 otherwise) with one of the two wins over G6 Tulane... its not impossible that any other team with Alabama's resume not called "Alabama" would have - rightly IMHO - been the team left out in favor of Notre Dame and that beating an upper level SEC team this year - even in a beatdown like Indiana just did - isn't exactly as impressive as it sounds/we've been conditioned to think it is - this version is far from Saban's Bama, let alone Bear's... I was impressed by Indiana for sure, they were fantastic yesterday, and they have been either the best or co-best team all year, but I was just as impressed by what Miami physically did to Ohio State. The new blood - Miami notwithstanding - is really refreshing and honestly, good for the sport as a whole. Can't wait for Thursday - and to see who comes to UCLA in the portal.
They'd better get a lot of offensive and defensive lineman! That's what they need and that's how to build a Championship team. As for conference comparisons, etc. Every year its different. I would have rather seen Notre Dame instead of Alabama, Texas & BYU instead of Tulane and JMU. Then you would have seen some more interesting matchups. But I'm not ready to anoint any of the teams remaining, including Indiana, as they are vulnerable in certain areas, as are Oregon, Miami and Ole Miss. But I contend any of those teams including Ole Miss can still win it all. Yes, Indiana seems to be unstoppable, but again that's what everyone and I mean everyone was saying about Georgia. We will see soon enough. meanwhile Chesney had better be working the phones and the flights like crazy by now. We have a lot of holes, and he needs to start filling them.
What gets me Big B is that I haven't seen any glaring weaknesses in Indiana, like I have seen with the other contenders. My biggest problem with Indiana is THAT THEY ARE INDIANA! I haven't been able to fully process what Cignetti has done because it is a first time event happening in real time. He talked big when he arrived ("I win, Google it"), but he has produced even bigger! He has turned the Losingest team in NCAA football history into the winningest team in the country over 2 years; his mastery of the portal, talent evaluation, culture development and coaching, has produced an undefeated season, Heisman Trophy winner and Big 18 championship in his second year and now he's in the semi-finals in the playoffs (the only one who has beaten the "playoff bye curse" over two years). He is not a coach, he is a “mystic.” It is flat out hard to believe what I am seeing. That is the only weakness I see. It is mine, not theirs.
Watch the Penn St game, Penn St exposed Indiana's lateral run defense, there are weaknesses. Every team has them. But you are correct, their train is moving much faster than the others it seems, they are currently on another level. But football is a funny sport, even teams who seem unbeatable are defeated by fluke plays, an inordinate number of turnovers, big game changing special teams plays. It happens. That's why I say, don't count out the other three teams, they all have the talent and the coaching chops (yes even Ole Miss, frankly they have a much better coach now) to be #1 as well.
it would be ironic, but you are underestimating Kiffin. Ole Miss is where they are because of him. He is going to have a lot more resources at LSU so no reason to believe that they won't be a perennial contender going forward.
It's clear that Kiffin can recruit and he will continue to recruit well at LSU given their resources. What Ol' Miss is showing is that he recruited great athletes at his previous school too, not that he is a championship caliber coach; that is why his handling of this matter (thinking he can't get the players at Ol' Miss but can at LSU) and thus deciding to leave is aggravating not just to Ol' Miss fans. Many fans (including myself) were interested in seeing how Kiffin would do as a coach when all the marbles were on the table in a playoff/championship format. His being a contender at LSU in the playoff format is a given in most minds (including yours and mine E), given his recruiting ability; but how will he do when he gets there?
I agree with both of you that Kiffin will do well there - It's hard not to contend at LSU given their advantages and he certainly can recruit and coach offense - but, given his history, what will happen if DeBoer gets canned/takes a different gig before or as he's being pushed out at Bama if they "underachieve" again next year or the year after that? Does anyone actually think he wouldn't bail on LSU in a hot second to go to Bama where he was an assistant/coordinator to be "the guy that followed the guy who followed The Man"? LSU has to worry about that big ol' shoe that could easily drop...
Touché Clio......You raise a point (LSU v Bama) drenched in Karma; but do you think the powers that be at Alabama, when it came down to it, would want to entrust their legacy to Kiffin? Might they consider him too mecurial? I would think Alabama would work their way down the Saban coaching tree first, offering Cignetti the moon, then kicking the tires at Georgia (Smart), Oregon (Lanning) or even Miami (Cristobol). Although I believe Kiffin to be a top coach, It would take some convincing for me to believe that such Football Royalty would be willing to entrust their program to someone who is perceived as a Court Jester in many circles.
Now that the coaching staff is place, the rebuilding begins. The transfer portal is open and 26 Bruins have entered so far. Chesney has convince one of them, Cole Martin, to return. One of the notable departures is placekicker, Mateen Bhaghani. In addition to Martin, four other transfers are joining the Bruins. Two of them are from JMU. It will be interesting to see if any more Bruins come back and any more Dukes follow Chesney. So far, out with a lot of old and just a few in with the new. It's still early and there are a lot of players in the portal.
let's hope for a winning season in 2026!
Well, old son..
..seems like the Bruins' 2026 schedule is not as rocky as the 2025 one was, Also, with the addition of a bona fide top notch coach, his two sidekicks, and any number of portal transferrees from JMU (or elsewhere), there's an excellent chance to pick off a few stragglers in the herd..maybe a bowl bid and a few surprises?
..here's the '26 schedule with opponents '25 records:
09/05 at California Golden Bears (7-6)
09/12 San Diego State Aztecs (9-4)
09/19 Nevada Wolf Pack (3-9)*
TBA at Maryland Terrapins (4-8)*
TBA at Michigan Wolverines (9-3)
TBA at Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-5)
TBA at Oregon Ducks (12-1) (Revenge for "Da Chez"?)
TBA Illinois Fighting Illini (8-4)
TBA Michigan State Spartans (4-8)*
TBA Purdue Boilermakers (2-10)*
TBA USC Trojans (9-3) (Ditto for revenge?)
TBA Wisconsin Badgers (4-8)*
..certainly a lot more optimism than going into '25 with DSF and the gauntlet we faced.
..additionally, it would be neat-o kean-o to have the Bruins at 3-0 going into Maryland. It's do-able.
as long as we beat U$C it's a winner for me...Oregon and Wisconsin would be a nice couple a wins too.
..yeah, but there are some chinks in the schedule that might yield up some pleasant surprises! Being an ancient codger from the Pleistocene era, my freshman year as a Bruin (1964), we suffered with Billy Barnes[mell] as our coach (4-6-0, 13-34 to the Toe Jams) and our savior, Tommy Prothro (PBUH) arrived from a stint at the Nogero Etats and who went 8-3 in his last year there and went 8-2-1 and 20-16 versus the Toe Jams* in his first year at UCLA.
In case you're not counting, Tommy took the Beaves to the Rose Bowl in 1964 and the Bruins in 1965 -- back to back seasons at two different schools.**
He also got Terry Baker the Heisman in 1962 and Gary Beban in 1967.
Chez as the smell of Prothro and Dick Vermeil all over him, in my humble opinion!
..Hurry up September!
*Legendary Beban bombs and Grider onside kick recovery in last four minutes!
https://www.thoughtco.com/chez-french-preposition-1368912
**We went 9-1 in 1966 but were denied the Rose Bowl because of that silly-assed no-repeat Rose Bowl rule!
I miss the Rose Bowl...but time marches on...
October looks to be a brutal road schedule.
Those were TBA but I believe the order infers 09/26 through 10/31 with a bye in there somewhere. Still in all, it might toughen them up enough to "steal" a "W" or two. in that skein.
I think the TBAs are listed with the away games grouped in alphabetical order by opponent then the home games grouped in alphabetical order by opponent- unless that's a crazy coincidence and we'd end the season against Bucky Badger instead of just $c... 🙂
2026 UCLA Football Schedule
Sept. 5 – at California
Sept. 12 – SAN DIEGO STATE
Sept. 19 – PURDUE*
Sept. 26 – at Maryland*
BYE
Oct. 10 – at Oregon*
Oct. 17 – WISCONSIN*
Oct. 24 – MICHIGAN STATE*
Oct. 31 – NEVADA
Nov. 7 – at Minnesota*
Nov. 14 – ILLINOIS*
Nov. 21 – at Michigan*
Nov. 28 – USC*
* Big Ten Conference game
Home games in CAPS
Nevada game is in the middle of the season.
So, do you think I was correct (above) when I said there are some opportunities to get a decent record with this schedule? Ironically, Da[Cal]Bearz opener will be a character builder and an interesting game to watch!
Th ebone crusher pair will be at the end but even there, Michigan is reeling over their coach's firing/imprisonment/capitol execution/whatever and, of course, the ultimate revenge motive for us versus the Toe Jams!
I think there's an opportunity to go bowling. Five of the teams finished under 0.500 this season.
I like the way the coaching staff is shaping up. Hopefully now, they can address NIL and recruiting.
Hopefully they can address penalties and arm tackles.
I'm concerned that we will spend NIL $$ landing Knight, and not have enough left over for a solid O-line.
Perhaps someone with more knowledge than me (@Dimitri) can assuage my fears?
Given the staff UCLA is putting together for the recruiting office, I’d say your fears are probably unfounded.
Eugene Brooks (aka the only good offensive lineman with eligibility from last year’s team) already announced his return, which is a good sign.
Ok, that's good to hear.
What is your confidence level on us landing Knight?
50/50, mostly because I think UCLA has running backs that can do what Knight does already, they just need a competent offensive line. I think you’d be more likely to see UCLA bring in linemen on both sides (and also receivers) than paying a potential premium for Knight.
Which isn’t to say UCLA shouldn’t consider bringing in night, I just don’t think he’s high up the list of priorities.
I appreciate your insight.
It definitely seems like bolstering the lines on both sides should be a higher priority.
100% There's some old guy around here always rambling on about how line wins games.
Looks like we did: UCLA lands a top transfer in James Madison running back Wayne Knight - Los Angeles Times https://share.google/vcesoCNh9pQ7cMNAq
Now go get an OLine too!
If the Dukes of Madison's 2nd-half performance in their CFP 1st-round defeat can be replicated here by the JMUcla coaching staff, then I think they're going to quickly extinguish the current dumpster fire and eventually rebuild the football program to be highly competitive for the first time in quite a while.
Best of luck in '26, and Go Bruins!
that's the only good thing about NIL. Any program can be turned around in just 1 season.
Agreed, if you have the NIL resources. Only time will tell whether we have what it takes to participate significantly in this "Portal arms race."
I'll assume that JMU's level of NIL fundraising was far less than UCLA's this past season (by exactly how much, I don't know). Yet, HC Chesney and his staff were able to recruit and create a roster that was competitive enough to get them into the CFP and outplay the lame Ducks for one half. Having more NIL resources available at UCLA will certainly help him construct a talented roster that can compete right away, but I think the recruiting, development, and leadership abilities of the JMUcla coaching staff are just as important. I see our crosstown rival getting more NIL funding and top talent at every position, yet they're still perennial underachievers with their current HC (more than happy to see them lose their toilet bowl game to TCU!). And a nice thank you to D'Anton Lynn for leaving U$C--hope Alex Grinch can come back to his old job (lol).
It's the Bob, Dean and Colin show and I am over the moon excited about what this top notch trio will bring to our Bruins.
It will be fascinating to see which JMU players will don the Blue and Gold next season and how the entire transfer portal shakes out.
But we are in great hands...
I truly believe UCLA got the very best coach, teacher and leader in Chesney in what was a wild coaching carousel.
Go Bruins!!! 💙💛💙💛
Well, there's no doubt that the last two JMU coaches have been successful. Cignetti was 21-6 at JMU and then went on to turn Indiana into the #1 team in the nation and had a record of 24-2 over the last two years.
Chez followed him at 21-6 over two seasons and took teensy weensy little JMU into the CFP this past season.
..and, so far, Chez is undefeated at UCLA!
{{{snork}}}
💯 undefeated 🤣
"I think DeShaun is a treasure and will become a great HC 💙💛" - You re: DeShaun Foster hire 2/12/24
Joe…….Fantastic article breaking down the history and successes of our coordinators. I love the attacking style/philosophy that Hitschler has implemented in the past. If we can bring in some athletic front seven personnel, his scheme could be very impactful.
Not as convinced about Kennedy’s offensive philosophy last year (RPO read based); I’d rather not see Nico as a regular part of a run-centric RPO offense. He would surely do well the first few games, but that offense fit the sturdier runners Kennedy had in QB’s Sluka and Barnett III. Nico has much greater arm talent to utilize than either of those QB’s and my concern would be that including Nico in the regular running portion of that offense would nick him up to such an extent that he would miss some games.
Fortunately, your thorough history on Kennedy shows that he has in the past been exposed to offensive approaches that adapt to the type of athlete he has as a QB (Florida ran a straight drop-back/shotgun, spread offense with Kyle Trask that got him drafted in the 2nd round). I am hopeful Kennedy incorporates a style of offense that unlocks the potential of Nico as a passer and limits his running to an occasional quarterback draw or counter; roll outs with a run/pass option and his “off schedule” scrambles when a pass play breaks down.
Chesney is on it...
Vic So'to, new linebackers coach
https://x.com/mzenitz/status/2006111210748440954?s=46
And Eddie Whitley Jr, new cornerbacks coach
https://x.com/thebenroyer/status/2006123000739840487?s=46
💙💛💙💛
Looks like the entire staff has been hired with the exception of a strength and conditioning coach.
Very quick work for what is essentially only his second full day on the job.
You likely already saw the story below, but these hires appear to be very good. Chez is doing a nice job combining his trusted coaches from JMU and before with Holy Cross and Assumption, with staff and coaches that know the West Coast and can greatly help with backyard recruiting...
https://www.on3.com/sites/bruin-blitz/news/report-more-james-madison-assistants-making-jump-to-ucla/
Shame we don’t have Northwestern of the schedule. Would love to beat Chip - I’m still amazed he gets picked up again and again.
Apparently, we won't get to see Jerry Neuheisel either, as he's reuniting with Chip Alford at NW...
Man, those Trogans are terrible. How could we have possibly lost to them! We'll all is good; we have a great new coach and to add on to this series of good new, the Trogans lose again.
You could not ask for a better ending... 3rd and 20 in overtime. Back-up QB Seals hits RB Payne on a short pass, and Payne leaves suc's defense in the dust 🤣 and scores! 💜
Lincoln Riley... couldn't happen to a nicer guy 🤣
D'Anton Lynn is more "Karma" for Riley as Penn State poached him from SC just like SC poached Lynn from UCLA; and it happens as Lynn is coming upon his all important “third year” with the program, where the biggest jump in player and scheme development is supposed to take place. In addition, none of the returning or recruited players are familiar with whatever scheme the new DC will install, whether they will fit that scheme or know where they stand in the coach’s mind as the style of player he wants at their position. For all they know, he may “portal” right over them with his style of players. Again T, “…couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.”
Hey P1,
💯 Lynn is Karma and actually he was not all that amazing at suc. I think our new DC Hitschler will be much better, imho. So win for us in the long run.
I am not all that impressed with Penn State's Matt Campbell so we will see how they do next year but what a cluster dumpster fire their coaching search was 🤣 I thought Donut Head Jelly 2.0 was bad but Pat Kraft is worse.
And dear little Lincoln whining over how Notre Dame refused to play 'anytime, anywhere' and therefore the suc vs ND game is gone, is classic Riles... so immature, feckless and entitled.
I believe the only reason that suc didn't want to play ND is because they simply can't beat them and were afraid to lose and harm their precious reputation even more, if possible. And the inevitable getting 'tarmac'd' would be enacted.
suc has to be operating on the all time loser level and it's entirely 🤣
Penn State's hiring process was an absolute CF but don't underestimate how good Matt Campbell has been doing more with less. Iowa State has always been in the shadow of not only Iowa but Oklahoma and Nebraska while they were all in the Big 8/12 and last won a conference title in 1912 - it's a place where, traditionally no one wins and the "good" coaches they have - Johnny Majors and Earle Bruce come to mind - start there before going on to other, bigger jobs and successes... let's just say, there aren't a whole lot of Brock Purdy's and Breece Hall's and top 25 rankings in their football history before Campbell's tenure. It remains to be seen how he does in a pressure cooker like Penn State but, for such a tirefire of a process, they ended up doing better than perhaps they should have...
I was thinking about how Chesney did so much more at JMU, Holy Cross, Assumption and Salve Regina with far less than what Iowa State had to work with...
So that's why I am not all that impressed with Campbell, but I could be wrong of course!
Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy with and optimistic about our hiring of Chesney and his staff - but, respectfully, it's not a mutually exclusive situation... in the 90 seasons AP has ranked teams, Iowa St has 12 wins against top 10 teams... Campbell has 4 of those 12 in a decade. Two top 12 finishes at the Midwest equivalent of Wazoo (and not a whiff of scandal) - Penn St did better than their process deserved
Agreed Clio, how Penn State landed safely on their feet after this fall from 10 stories high is nothing short of a miracle. I always wondered why Campbell had never left before. Over the past 5 years he has always been mentioned as "a top candidate" for a top ten coaching vacancy. Maybe the pressure cooker is why he never left, until now.
Widdle Lincoln sounds like someone trying to convince himself and his friends that his ex who left him wasn't the best thing that ever happened to him and "he's fine... just fine, damnit!" while he pulls his TV dinner out of the microwave as everyone else, including his ex, is out celebrating New Years Eve and enjoying themselves. So sad - you aren't convincing anyone, son.
🤣 and low and behold his Swanson meatloaf dinner was in an aluminum container, providing nothing but New Year's eve fireworks 🤣
Widdle Riley is a classic 🤣
One of the great memories I have is my father, older brother and me going to the SC v Notre Dame game at the Coliseum every other year to cheer on the Irish. Too much fun. All I can say is that as a college football fan, IMHO, petulant children must be calling the shots for both programs to throw away a long-standing nationally recognized rivalry game like this. I don’t pay much attention to what Keyshawn Johnson has to say, but it was tough to miss his recent “torching” of Lincoln Riley on this issue.
https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/usc-keyshawn-johnson-lincoln-riley-trojans-notre-dame-rivalry/
I always cheer for ND to beat suc! KJ rant is a bit inarticulate 🤣 but what is clear, is suc is suc-ing more that it has ever suc'd and canceling this rivalry is a cluster dumpster fire move.
Here's what I think...
Liddle Lincoln has the 'best' recruiting class coming in next season according to number of *s. If suc doesn't go the CFP, he will likely be forced to exit. But then again, the suc AD sounds like quite a feckless coward, so we will see how it unfolds.
However, it will be glorious to watch the sucsters implode if their beloved football program falls into darkness, and Chez and the Bruins rise to the sky's blue and gold light!
It's a great time to be alive, and be a Bruin!
💙💛💙💛
I couldn't agree more, p1 - its part of College Football losing its soul. There's an epidemic of petulant children these days... Bedlam, Iron Skillet (SMU-TCU), even Texas-aTm for over a decade until Texas jumped into the SEC - let alone we no longer play Berkeley-Northern Extension nor Stanfurd... I'm glad that the mega-conferences at least have recognized at least some "protected rivalries" within their bloated memberships - but choosing to keep it going as Washington-Wazoo and Oregon-OSU have done (or UCLA-zona basketball) is worthy of praise if increasingly rare these days.
Losing its soul indeed......I guess if Chez does a great job and we start dominating SC as we did in the 90's or in the Mora-Hundley days, Riley and this new SC admin will want to dump us as a yearly rivalry game too!
HC Riley (Clay Helton 2.0) is doing a great job of achieving a #1 ranking in recruiting, but the same can't be said about his coaching performance at U$C. Only a 35-18 record (.660) and 2-2 in toilet bowl (no CFP) games over 4 seasons so far. That's comparable to former HC Helton's 46-24 record (.657) and 2-3 in toilet bowl games over the previous 8 seasons. Fart On, U$C!
And what a strange post-game quote from HC Riley after blowing it in OT: "This place is doing all the things you need to do to bust that door down, and I really believe a window here has opened up. It’s taken a lot of effort and commitment from a lot of people over four fun but challenging years to get it open, and it’s open now.”
I think if U$C doesn't make the CFP next season, he's going to be thrown out that open window.
Strange quote, indeed. He sounds desperate and grasping at air.
But still want to know which door was busted down and which window was opened. Sounds like a crime scene 🤣
His HC seat is getting too hot, so that's why he has to bust down the door and open the window, but not sure why he thinks that's been "fun".
LOL
How ironic would it be it Ole Miss goes on to win the CFP with Kiffin walking away from his most successful team of his career? Don't see him matching this success at LSU.
Agreed Gen2. We assume that he left Ol’ Miss to go to LSU because he thought he could never obtain the players he needed to win a National Title at the former. It seems he may have had those players right under his nose. That was college football drama at its zenith last night watching these two teams compete. I was rooting for Ol’ Miss just because of all the chaos they had (and continue to) overcome to get there. I’d love to see them win it all just to see this irony of ironies play out, but after watching yesterday, I find it hard to believe that anyone will be able to derail the train that Cignetti has built as it rolls down the tracks toward the Title.
I agree Indiana looks to be unstoppable, but most thought that was Georgia before last night as well. At this point, you have four really good teams, and anything can happen. As Cignetti said last night, "It's really hard to beat a good team twice in a year", of course this is a new year! Lol Anyway, I'd love to see Ole Miss at least in the final, but that Miami defense is really good, scary good. So, it will most likely be Indiana and Miami in the finals with Indiana winning a close one in the Championship game. But one thing that I really like about this year's CFP... No Ohio St, No Michigan, No Notre Dame, No Alabama and No Georgia. With the exception of Oregon, these are all relatively new teams in the semi's.
I, too, think I'd be great to see Pete Golding join the "Steve Fisher Club" of winning a national championship taking over for a coach who never actually won anything and bailed as the tournament started and watching Chambliss scramble around and try to avoid those two Miami edge rushers is going to be fun... but I think it's quite possible Miami and Oregon might very well have hammered Alabama as well... it should be noted that the SEC is only 2-5 in the postseason if you don't count inter-conference matchups (4-7 otherwise) with one of the two wins over G6 Tulane... its not impossible that any other team with Alabama's resume not called "Alabama" would have - rightly IMHO - been the team left out in favor of Notre Dame and that beating an upper level SEC team this year - even in a beatdown like Indiana just did - isn't exactly as impressive as it sounds/we've been conditioned to think it is - this version is far from Saban's Bama, let alone Bear's... I was impressed by Indiana for sure, they were fantastic yesterday, and they have been either the best or co-best team all year, but I was just as impressed by what Miami physically did to Ohio State. The new blood - Miami notwithstanding - is really refreshing and honestly, good for the sport as a whole. Can't wait for Thursday - and to see who comes to UCLA in the portal.
They'd better get a lot of offensive and defensive lineman! That's what they need and that's how to build a Championship team. As for conference comparisons, etc. Every year its different. I would have rather seen Notre Dame instead of Alabama, Texas & BYU instead of Tulane and JMU. Then you would have seen some more interesting matchups. But I'm not ready to anoint any of the teams remaining, including Indiana, as they are vulnerable in certain areas, as are Oregon, Miami and Ole Miss. But I contend any of those teams including Ole Miss can still win it all. Yes, Indiana seems to be unstoppable, but again that's what everyone and I mean everyone was saying about Georgia. We will see soon enough. meanwhile Chesney had better be working the phones and the flights like crazy by now. We have a lot of holes, and he needs to start filling them.
What gets me Big B is that I haven't seen any glaring weaknesses in Indiana, like I have seen with the other contenders. My biggest problem with Indiana is THAT THEY ARE INDIANA! I haven't been able to fully process what Cignetti has done because it is a first time event happening in real time. He talked big when he arrived ("I win, Google it"), but he has produced even bigger! He has turned the Losingest team in NCAA football history into the winningest team in the country over 2 years; his mastery of the portal, talent evaluation, culture development and coaching, has produced an undefeated season, Heisman Trophy winner and Big 18 championship in his second year and now he's in the semi-finals in the playoffs (the only one who has beaten the "playoff bye curse" over two years). He is not a coach, he is a “mystic.” It is flat out hard to believe what I am seeing. That is the only weakness I see. It is mine, not theirs.
Watch the Penn St game, Penn St exposed Indiana's lateral run defense, there are weaknesses. Every team has them. But you are correct, their train is moving much faster than the others it seems, they are currently on another level. But football is a funny sport, even teams who seem unbeatable are defeated by fluke plays, an inordinate number of turnovers, big game changing special teams plays. It happens. That's why I say, don't count out the other three teams, they all have the talent and the coaching chops (yes even Ole Miss, frankly they have a much better coach now) to be #1 as well.
it would be ironic, but you are underestimating Kiffin. Ole Miss is where they are because of him. He is going to have a lot more resources at LSU so no reason to believe that they won't be a perennial contender going forward.
It's clear that Kiffin can recruit and he will continue to recruit well at LSU given their resources. What Ol' Miss is showing is that he recruited great athletes at his previous school too, not that he is a championship caliber coach; that is why his handling of this matter (thinking he can't get the players at Ol' Miss but can at LSU) and thus deciding to leave is aggravating not just to Ol' Miss fans. Many fans (including myself) were interested in seeing how Kiffin would do as a coach when all the marbles were on the table in a playoff/championship format. His being a contender at LSU in the playoff format is a given in most minds (including yours and mine E), given his recruiting ability; but how will he do when he gets there?
I agree with both of you that Kiffin will do well there - It's hard not to contend at LSU given their advantages and he certainly can recruit and coach offense - but, given his history, what will happen if DeBoer gets canned/takes a different gig before or as he's being pushed out at Bama if they "underachieve" again next year or the year after that? Does anyone actually think he wouldn't bail on LSU in a hot second to go to Bama where he was an assistant/coordinator to be "the guy that followed the guy who followed The Man"? LSU has to worry about that big ol' shoe that could easily drop...
Touché Clio......You raise a point (LSU v Bama) drenched in Karma; but do you think the powers that be at Alabama, when it came down to it, would want to entrust their legacy to Kiffin? Might they consider him too mecurial? I would think Alabama would work their way down the Saban coaching tree first, offering Cignetti the moon, then kicking the tires at Georgia (Smart), Oregon (Lanning) or even Miami (Cristobol). Although I believe Kiffin to be a top coach, It would take some convincing for me to believe that such Football Royalty would be willing to entrust their program to someone who is perceived as a Court Jester in many circles.
Now that the coaching staff is place, the rebuilding begins. The transfer portal is open and 26 Bruins have entered so far. Chesney has convince one of them, Cole Martin, to return. One of the notable departures is placekicker, Mateen Bhaghani. In addition to Martin, four other transfers are joining the Bruins. Two of them are from JMU. It will be interesting to see if any more Bruins come back and any more Dukes follow Chesney. So far, out with a lot of old and just a few in with the new. It's still early and there are a lot of players in the portal.
On3 - for what its worth - is reporting that Money Bhags is "expected to return" as of today...
Bhaghani and a handful of Bruins have withdrawn from the portal. So far, 22 transfers have been signed with about 15 more being processed.