UCLA

[wyo-cat]

LA? Post interview dinner?

[wyo-cat]

Some people say….

They’re in Cabo. Where UCLA is interviewing coaches.

OMG!!

[AZCatGirl]

I can't believe Fisch was stupid enough to post that pic and confirm the rumors.

[TheCat]

I don't think that is Cabo. It has a heater next to the table. Who is the lady? That isn't his wife and he looks lit. Another Urban Meyers?

[UAEebs86]

I don't think that is Cabo. It has a heater next to the table. Who is the lady? That isn't his wife and he looks lit. Another Urban Meyers?

That is definitely Amber.

[CatsbyAZ]

I don't think that is Cabo. It has a heater next to the table. Who is the lady? That isn't his wife and he looks lit. Another Urban Meyers?

[KillerKlown]

LA? Post interview dinner?

-Fisch professing his love for Amber in Cabo over drinks.
-Amber professing her love for L.A. over drinks.

[CalStateTempe]

Amber does look like the type to encourage one rung up.

Cats never had a chance.

[CalStateTempe]

lol…are the uw boards in fire?

[ChooChooCat]

lol…are the uw boards in fire?

Nah, they're in the denial phase.

Jedd isn't going to get the job, it'll cost UCLA too much to make it happen, but he'll interview for every job opening with a pulse from this point on and UW fans will have to learn to accept it.

[Merkin]

UCLA will have to pay UW $12M if they hire Fisch.

Same amount Bama paid UDub for DeBoer.

Could be a very profitable racket.

[MrBug708]

lol…are the uw boards in fire?

Nah, they're in the denial phase.

Jedd isn't going to get the job, it'll cost UCLA too much to make it happen, but he'll interview for every job opening with a pulse from this point on and UW fans will have to learn to accept it.

Schools don't pay buyouts, boosters so. If UCLA does hire a coach with a buyout, it is because someone stepped up to pay the buyout.

[ChooChooCat]

lol…are the uw boards in fire?

Nah, they're in the denial phase.

Jedd isn't going to get the job, it'll cost UCLA too much to make it happen, but he'll interview for every job opening with a pulse from this point on and UW fans will have to learn to accept it.

Schools don't pay buyouts, boosters so. If UCLA does hire a coach with a buyout, it is because someone stepped up to pay the buyout.

That's fair. Do the boosters feel Jedd is worth $10 million to buyout? Ehhhh, doubt it.

[Merkin]

With Jedd showing his true colors, I wonder if UDub would lower the buyout.

[TheCatInTheHat]

UCLA fans are desperate to save face with a big name. I'm waiting to hear the next supposed "rumor" about Bill Belichick, Nick Saban, or Vince Lombardi. Meanwhile, Brennan should be reviewing their roster: Jaylin Davies, Keanu Williams, etc.

[MrBug708]

Big names? What? Lol

The fans generally want Tony White with a smaller group wanting Tommy Rees. Those are the two fan favorites.

[Carcassdragger]

Please hire Fisch!

[Merkin]

Is Shay Binion(sp?) still around?

[MrBug708]

Yikes. This hire is to keep kids from going to the portal, but he doesnt recruit and isn't a dynamic personality to raise NIL
https://twitter.com/petethamel/status/1 ... 2Ay7jNCfSQ

[Merkin]

Yikes. This hire is to keep kids from going to the portal, but he doesnt recruit and isn't a dynamic personality to raise NIL
https://twitter.com/petethamel/status/1 ... 2Ay7jNCfSQ

Looks like it's official

[UAEebs86]

Jedd and Amber not happy!

[Chicat]

From a “name” standpoint that’s a good hire.

I won’t pretend to know anything about his coaching, motivating, or recruiting.

[dmjcat]

From a “name” standpoint that’s a good hire.

I won’t pretend to know anything about his coaching, motivating, or recruiting.

Who cares??? We are no longer in the same conference, I could care less whom UCLA hires

[Chicat]

From a “name” standpoint that’s a good hire.

I won’t pretend to know anything about his coaching, motivating, or recruiting.

Who cares??? We are no longer in the same conference, I could care less whom UCLA hires

I mean, I’m a college football fan so it’s all interesting to me, plus I want to see all the former PAC teams that are now in the B1G suck a dead donkey’s taint … so the answer to your question is I do. I care.

And the phrase is “couldn’t care less”. Could care less means you do care, probably more than you should.

[TheCatInTheHat]

From a "best coach available" standpoint, they probably should have hired an NFL assistant. Seems like those guys all have Fisch disease, which means they aspire to nothing less than being a Super Bowl-winning head coach in the NFL, and a college head gig is a means to eventually get there. They could have hoped that Westwood and the B1G would mean a longer duration...say six years before jumping back, with whatever could be accomplished in that time as resume-building. But, this is bet-hedging, kind of like if we elevated Ricky Hunley or something. "The players relate to him, so they won't leave." "He's a true Bruin, so he won't leave us, like Kelly did." "The alumni like him, because he played here, and they're compelled to give him a chance." And the media will fall into line on the last one (except probably Plaschke, but so what.) You can argue he's a place-holder until bad times and upheaval shake out, like Dillingham at ASU. Considering the traditional honeymoon free pass, it would have been more fun to watch Kelly next year, but it will still be fun to see.

[TheCat]

I think Foster will work hard to represent the Bruins but I think this might slow recruiting until he demonstrates he is a good X and O guy. I think it will also keep some of the players out of the portal. I think this is the best the Bruins could hope for at this time.

[Merkin]

Lot of UCLA fans not too happy about the hire. Many wanted someone with either HC, DC or OC experience, not a position coach.

They feel that UCLA is becoming like Cal and Stanford, not really caring about college football anymore. Someone posted that UCLA has the 4th smallest athletic budget in the PAC. Looking it up, that is correct, OSU, WSU and CU have lower AD revenue: https://knightnewhousedata.org/fbs/pac-12 although Stanford isn't mentioned being a private school.

I haven't seen Foster's salary posted yet, but it's probably half of Chip's.

[CatsbyAZ]

Lot of UCLA fans not too happy about the hire. Many wanted someone with either HC, DC or OC experience, not a position coach.

They feel that UCLA is becoming like Cal and Stanford, not really caring about college football anymore.

If I were a UCLA diehard, this is exactly what would bother me the most.

Thinking back to just 10 years ago, Jim Mora Jr was fielding legitimately strong Bruins teams, stringing together top 15 finishes before it all went downhill. Mid-2010s Bruins teams were achieving what Rick Nueheisal initially promised when hired in 2007 - beating USC, signing top 10/15 recruiting classes, sending a ton of players to the NFL, filling the Rose Bowl for home games, and contending in the Pac 12 for conference championships. But even Mora's best teams couldn't get past the Stanford buzz saw and though the good times didn't last long, UCLA felt like what they should always be given their known big-market, big-budget advantages.

Fast forward to now and the UCLA job very much appears scaled back. Chip Kelly's past three seasons of 8 and 9 wins feels like the ceiling. Home game attendance has cratered. Local sports media barely covers the Bruins. UCLA's very international student body isn't inclined to football. And aside from a few avid fan blogs (BRO, Bruin Gold) and their aging portions of alumni who came of age under coach Terry Donahue's Rose Bowl seasons, there is minimal fan support.

UCLA football is not the job it was 40, 25, or even 10 years ago. Good luck coach Foster.

[CatsbyAZ]

Big hire for DeShaun Foster - UCLA hires Eric Bieniemy as OC:

[TheCatInTheHat]

They face an odd future. Not sure how much they were gung-ho for the B1G, versus forced into it by USC's money-grab (their portion now reduced by their "tax" to Berkeley.) They'll get more bodies, but much of the time it'll be like when the Cardinals host the Cowboys or Steelers and the visiting fans make it their home game. Only this will be Big Ten fans making a long weekend tourist pilgrimage to the Rose Bowl and Disneyland.

[MrBug708]

Chip Kelly was awful

https://twitter.com/daviddavidwoods/sta ... 4423772626

[Merkin]

Chip Kelly was awful

https://twitter.com/daviddavidwoods/sta ... 4423772626

Embedded.

Now wouldn't that be something to get fired for with cause? Sumlin and RichRod seemed to want to get fired at get paid, but never that flagrant.

[TheCatInTheHat]

After six years of doing his best PR job to make Kelly seem more palatable during his term at UCLA, the LA Times' Ben Bolch (who still takes that approach with Cronin) has now finally turned on Kelly, calling him "nowhere man."

https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/sto ... coach-ucla

[CatsbyAZ]

Sounds like UCLA has no depth at Defensive End. From Ben Bolch—

"Edge rusher might be the team’s thinnest position after coach DeShaun Foster confirmed Tuesday that Choe Bryant-Strother had entered the transfer portal, becoming the latest edge rusher to depart. Laiatu Latu and twins Gabriel and Grayson Murphy have declared for the NFL draft. Carl Jones Jr. and Jake Heimlicher have exhausted their eligibility. Bryant-Strother was the last remaining edge rusher on the roster who had played for the Bruins, logging 38 tackles, four tackles for loss and one sack over four seasons at a variety of positions.",

[wyo-cat]

Sucks to be them.

[CatsbyAZ]

Over in the USC thread, in posts where I was laughing at Lincoln Riley running from difficult scheduling by trying for 2 years to get out of this season's Kickoff Classic Vs LSU, one of the articles I quoted had this to say in mild defense of Riley attempting to opt out of playing tougher opponents: "Unfortunately, this is a trend that seems likely to continue across the sport. Conferences will have sights set on landing as many at-large bids as possible in the new 12-team playoff setup, meaning losses need to be at a premium for the league as a whole. Rather than incentivizing strength of schedule, realignment is only stripping viewers of these marquee out of conference matchups."

With that said, this week UCLA reached mutual agreement with both Georgia and Auburn to cancel their upcoming series. For UCLA travel costs/distances likely played a part, but for Auburn and Georgia I’m betting it all goes back to lightening their burdens to increase their (conference's) chances at one of twelve playoff bids.

From the LA Times–
“UCLA is dropping two college football heavyweights from its future football schedules in favor of far more familiar foes. Gone will be Georgia and Auburn, titans of the Southeastern Conference. Arriving will be Utah and California, former Pac-12 Conference rivals who joined the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast conferences, respectively, in the wake of UCLA’s departure for the Big Ten. Now they will be nonconference opponents who need no introduction.”

[Merkin]

I never did buy the travel excuse for USC and UCLA. LAX is right there. You can get round trip flights from LAX to Atlanta for $100, even cheaper on the redeye. Then less than 2 hours to Georgia and Auburn universities by shuttle. Costs more to go to Pullman.

Even the Olympic sports can afford to play those schools.

[EastCoastCat]

I never did buy the travel excuse for USC and UCLA. LAX is right there. You can get round trip flights from LAX to Atlanta for $100, even cheaper on the redeye. Then less than 2 hours to Georgia and Auburn universities by shuttle. Costs more to go to Pullman.

Even the Olympic sports can afford to play those schools.

$100 RT across the country? You are joking right?

Sure you are not having flashbacks to the ‘80’s?

[Merkin]

Not saying I am not having flashbacks, but yea.

[Chicat]

NEVER FLY SPIRIT!

Unless you’re a Scummie. Then, by all means, enjoy your flight.

[CatsbyAZ]

Coach DeShaun Foster's media day introduction of UCLA to the Big Ten got a lot of traction on sports radio last night:

[Merkin]

Now I get what Scheer was talking about with: "UCLA is in LA"/

[MountainCat]

Now I get what Scheer was talking about with: "UCLA is in LA"/

Yes the University of California is in Los Angeles

[TheCatInTheHat]

It reminds me of that American Express ad in Major League: "You don't know us, but we're a major league baseball team." Sad. And I just don't see a path for them to get back to their glory days. The Rose Bowl is hot for day games (which I assume they'll play more of in the Big Ten) and distant for students (as if they cared) and fans. They'll be invaded by hordes of visiting Big Ten fans, and they'll get pushed around in their new league and find themselves even worse second-class citizens in LA. Not exactly a formula to attract future NFL all-pros to play for DeShaun Foster. They may eventually get some hot coach who gets it going, but he'll bail from a losing situation asap. Fortunes change.

[Merkin]

Hope they don't drive around LA looking for the stadium. It's obviously in Pasadena which is not part of LA city.

Although 99% of everyone considers Pasadena "LA", which includes anything from Ventura County through Orange County.

[Carcassdragger]

It reminds me of that American Express ad in Major League: "You don't know us, but we're a major league baseball team." Sad. And I just don't see a path for them to get back to their glory days. The Rose Bowl is hot for day games (which I assume they'll play more of in the Big Ten) and distant for students (as if they cared) and fans. They'll be invaded by hordes of visiting Big Ten fans, and they'll get pushed around in their new league and find themselves even worse second-class citizens in LA. Not exactly a formula to attract future NFL all-pros to play for DeShaun Foster. They may eventually get some hot coach who gets it going, but he'll bail from a losing situation asap. Fortunes change.

And they'll deserve it as the first ones to jump ship from the PAC and leave everybody else hanging.

[84Cat]

Is there an old school thread for football?

[EastCoastCat]

Is there an old school thread for football?

Ask Merkin. He’s the de facto czar of old school.

[Merkin]

Right on ECC! Although I don't have any goalposts anecdotes.

And no, due to the lack of success for the FB program since the Border Conference, there is not much to reminisce about.

For every Leap By the Lake, there is Stoops going into the prevent defense late in the 3rd quarter v. Oregon when the students were getting ready to rush the field.

[EastCoastCat]

Right on ECC! Although I don't have any goalposts anecdotes.

And no, due to the lack of success for the FB program since the Border Conference, there is not much to reminisce about.

For every Leap By the Lake, there is Stoops going into the prevent defense late in the 3rd quarter v. Oregon when the students were getting ready to rush the field.

You know I caught the Leap by the Lake game a few weeks ago and I forgot that prior to that amazing play by Jenkins, the UDub place kicker missed an extra point and 2 chip shot FG’s.