Saturday
66. UCLA Bruins |
#10 in Pac 12 |
When UCLA hired Jim Mora Jr., they hoped they were getting their Pete Carroll. A guy with an NFL pedigree, who had some success at that level, but not quite enough to stay employed. Instead they got Al Groh. A guy who recruited well, sold his NFL background, but never turned it into wins. He had a solid stream of quarterbacks, but it never equalled wins. Now they bring in an unequivocal NFL bust, but a guy with an unquestioned NCAA background (aside from the compliance side) in Chip Kelly. Kelly is essentially starting from scratch, but that’s fine. His offense particularly is completely different from what UCLA was running, so a bunch of returning starters would have been of little use anyway. He also is a big enough name, and UCLA is desperate enough for success, he knows he’ll be given time to build his program. Just how desperate is he for 2018 though? He took a grad transfer from Wilton Speight. He took a guy who wasn’t good enough to be the 2018 starter for a program who seems to be a quarterback away, and is putting him in a system that will be an even worse fit. If Kelly can even get this team into a bowl game, he deserves coach of the year consideration, and if he does it, it will be due to the defense taking major strides forward. A young group last year was awful, last in the Pac 12, surrendering 483 ypg, mostly because of terrible play in the front, allowing 287 rushing yards per game. That was second worst in the nation. The scary thing is the line was the one part of the defense last year that had some experience. The one positive note is that cornerback Darnay Holmes showed as a freshman that he is going to be a special player. The good feels from landing Kelly should hold Bruins fans over for 2018. That’s good, because not much on the field is going to help there.
Key PlayersRB | | Soso Jamabo, Senior |
RB | | Bolu Olorunfunmi, Senior |
K | | J.J. Molson, Senior |
| . | |
CB | | Darnay Holmes, Senior |
CB | | Nate Meadors, Senior |
S | | Adarius Pickett, Senior |
65. Tulane Green Wave |
#5 in American |
Willie Fritz brought the triple option from Georgia Southern to Tulane, and has watched steady improvement over his first two seasons. The Green Wave lost a heartbreaker in the season finale a year ago, squandering a 4th quarter lead against SMU that cost them bowl eligibility, for a program that has only been to one bowl game since 2002. For 2018 just getting bowl eligible should be the floor. Trusting his system, and bringing in the right guys to fit it, has left Fritz with 10 returning starters specifically recruited into the triple option system, that have spent two years learning it. Just like we saw everything click last year offensively for Central Florida, I think the American will become just as frustrated with Fritz’s system this year, as they were with Frost’s last year. So can Tulane run the table and claim a national title? Well, they did go undefeated, and finish #7 in the polls in 1998, so it’s not totally unprecedented. But, Central Florida has access to better talent, and they had a couple NFL guys on that defense. Tulane’s defense could be their achilles heel. Specifically, their defense against big plays. The Green Wave had a middle of the road defense overall, and the best red zone defense in the American, both overall and in terms of touchdowns allowed. 45% of the touchdowns they allowed were outside the redzone, worst in the conference. But that offense could be really fun to watch if it all comes together in Year 3. Jonathan Banks seemed to really be starting to put it together at the end of last year, playing very well in Tulane’s final 3 games. It’s not an offense that is going to be focused on the pass, but it doesn’t avoid the pass like Army or Navy does. Banks had double digit carries in every game he was healthy, with over 20 twice. But he also attempted at least 13 passes every game, and went over 30 once. Terren Escalade is a weapon in the pass game, and could be as good as any receiver in the American. So, no, don’t expect to see Tulane playing on New Years Day. If for no other reason a killer early schedule that includes both Wake Forest and Ohio State, a de facto divisional championship game against Memphis, plus a sneaky road trip to UAB, all before the calendar turns to October. But Memphis can’t keep finding NFL quarterbacks, and that game is being played in New Orleans. So playing in their first ever American Athletic Conference Championship is not a reach at all.
Key PlayersQB | | Jonathan Banks, Senior |
WR | | Terren Encalade, Senior |
T | | Tyler Johnson, Junior |
| . | |
LB | | Zachary Harris, Junior |
CB | | Donnie Lewis, Senior |
S | | Chase Kuerschen, Sophomore |