UCLA, Pitt's Sun Bowl Finish Thrills Twitter After Dorian Thompson-Robinson's Injury
Dec 30, 2022
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 25: Dorian Thompson-Robinson #1 of the UCLA Bruins scrambles with the ball against the California Golden Bears during the second quarter of an NCAA football game at California Memorial Stadium on November 25, 2022 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Friday's Sun Bowl between the No. 18 UCLA Bruins and Pittsburgh Panthers left social media buzzing, as Pitt overcame a late deficit and hit a game-winning field goal with just four seconds remaining, giving the Panthers a 37-35 victory in El Paso, Texas.
UCLA led by as much as 14 in the second half, but Pittsburgh scored 20 unanswered points to take a six-point lead into the latter stages of the fourth quarter.
The Bruins seemed like they were out of it after senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson exited the final collegiate game of his career in the fourth quarter with an apparent back injury, but backup Ethan Garbers led a touchdown drive that put UCLA back up 35-34 with 34 seconds remaining:
Pitt quarterback Nick Patti came through in the clutch, though, completing 18- and 17-yard passes to Jared Wayne and Bub Means, respectively, before scrambling for 11 yards to set up kicker Ben Sauls' fifth successful field goal of the game:
The No. 18 Bruins were in search of their first 10-win season since 2014 and seemed to be well on their way to getting there, but their offense largely stalled in the second half.
It was a tale of two halves for DTR, who put up big numbers and had UCLA ahead 21-14 at the break before a second-half collapse.
While Thompson-Robinson did throw three interceptions, he also tossed two touchdowns and rushed for another.
The senior signal-caller was on pace for over 500 passing yards, but he couldn't get anything going in the second half and went just 1-of-5 for seven yards with no touchdowns and one pick after the break.
UCLA extended its lead to 28-14 in the third quarter on a pick-six, but Pitt tied it up with two touchdowns, including one off Thompson-Robinson's third interception. DTR did not return after that pick, and while no official injury was announced, it was noted on the broadcast that he appeared to be getting his back worked on.
Even without Thompson-Robinson, the Bruins were in position to win the game, but their defense simply couldn't hold up.
UCLA head coach Chip Kelly will undoubtedly be second-guessed over some of the decisions he made in the loss, and the focus will now shift toward who will be under center for the Bruins next season following the departure of DTR.
5-Star QB Recruit Dante Moore Flips Commitment from Oregon to Chip Kelly, UCLA
Dec 19, 2022
Highly touted quarterback prospect Dante Moore has flipped his commitment from Oregon to UCLA.
NEWS: Five-star QB Dante Moore (@dantemoore05), the No. 3 overall recruit in the country, tells @ESPN that heās flipping his commitment to UCLA from Oregon. His commitment gives UCLA the highest-rated recruit (tied) in UCLA history in ESPNās rankings. https://t.co/Tu7gqWSi8u
"I went on a visit to UCLA," Moore told Pete Thamel of ESPN. "I talked to God and my people and really within myself. I knew that UCLA was the right move for me."
Moore previously committed to Oregon in July, but he visited the Bruins earlier this month, and it helped sway his decision.
Offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham had also been Moore's primary recruiter at Oregon, but he left to become head coach at Arizona State.
The 5-star recruit is considered the No. 3 overall player in the 2023 class by 247Sports, behind only fellow quarterbacks Arch Manning and Nicholaus Iamaleava.
Moore put up incredible numbers at Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, totaling 135 passing touchdowns across four seasons as a varsity starter. He had 32 passing touchdowns and just three interceptions as a senior while leading his team to a second straight Michigan state championship.
He led his team to a 40-11 record as a starter, reaching the state finals three times in four years.
The incoming freshman will look to continue the success with UCLA, which is trending in the right direction after a slow start under head coach Chip Kelly. The squad won just 10 total games from 2018 to 2020 before going 8-4 in 2021.
The Bruins went 9-3 this season and will compete in the Sun Bowl against Pittsburgh, the team's first bowl appearance since 2017 (the 2021 Holiday Bowl was canceled due to COVID-19).
Moore also enters a quarterback room that won't have much experience after losing senior Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Washington transfer Ethan Garbers has seen minimal playing time as a backup, totaling 79 pass attempts in two seasons.
It could lead to early playing time for UCLA's latest addition.
Kelly also gets a major recruiting win over a conference rival and his former team, where he coached from 2009 to 2012.
Oregon will at least have some continuity at quarterback after Bo Nix announced he will return for the 2023 season.
UCLA Given Conditional Approval to Leave Pac-12, Join Big Ten by UC Board of Regents
Dec 15, 2022
PASADENA, CA - OCTOBER 8: UCLA logo on the field during the college football game between the Utah Utes and the UCLA Bruins on Saturday, October 8, 2022 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
University of California regents voted Wednesday to allow UCLA to leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten, according to Ben Bolch, Thuc Nhi Nguyen and Steve Henson of the Los Angeles Times.
UCLA will join fellow Southern California school USC in the Big Ten, which will expand to 16 teams once the additions take effect in 2024.
The vote ended 11-5 in favor of UCLA's conference change:
The move is expected to have major financial benefits for UCLA. Per the L.A. Times report, "In just its first year of Big Ten membership, the school is projected to pocket $65 million to $75 million in media rights revenue, roughly doubling what it would have made by remaining in the Pac-12 Conference."
But it caused controversy and subsequent months of negotiations since UCLA will leave behind its sister school, UC Berkeley.
"Not all money is good money," wrote former UCLA linebacker Ramogi Huma, who serves as the executive director of the National College Players Association, to the regents. "The regents should not let a handful of people sell the soul of the UCLA athletics program for TV dollars that will be spent on luxury boxes in stadiums and lavish salaries for a few."
The regents secured certain guarantees in return for allowing UCLA's departure, however:
The Big Ten has also agreed to assist UCLA with its increased travel costs and considerations by "holding neutral-site jamborees involving Olympic sports from multiple conference schools," per the LA Times.
The UCLA-USC addition was the Big Ten's answer after longtime Big 12 powerhouses Oklahoma and Texas announced they would join the SEC. The conferences continue to jockey for position as the most powerful in the NCAA sporting landscape, namely in the cash cow that is college football.
The college football's regular season is already close to coming to an end. As we head into Week 12 of the season, there are just two weeks left in the regular...
UCLA, USC Communities Not In Favor of Move to Big Ten, Pac 12 Commissioner Says
Oct 26, 2022
Los Angeles, CA - November 20: USC wide receiver That Washington, right, UCLA defensive back Cameron Johnson deflect a pass in the first quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff believes USC and UCLA leaving the conference will be an unpopular decision.
"I think saying hundreds would be an exaggerationādozens, more than a hundred," Kliavkoff said when talking about discussions he has had with people connected to the programs, per Myron Medcalf of ESPN. "And I have yet to talk to anyone in the UCLA and USC community who's in favor of the move. I will say that I probably hear from folks who are not in favor, not surprisingly."
As Medcalf noted, the Trojans and Bruins will become members of the Big Ten in 2024 as the landscape of college sports continues to change with conference realignment that will also see Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC from the Big 12 in July 2025.
While Kliavkoff is a biased source who would clearly benefit from the two major brands staying inside the conference, there is something to be said for the difficulties it will present.
USC and UCLA will be in for multiple long road trips in football, basketball and other sports as they travel to places such as Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State. The Big Ten is also based in the Midwest and operates its high-profile conference championships and tournaments in cities such as Indianapolis and Chicago.
USC and UCLA will also lose some long-standing rivalries within the Pac-12 as they play new schedules.
Kliavkoff suggested expenses that come from additional traveling and salaries with the move to the Big Ten will counteract the gains available from a financial standpoint, but Medcalf noted reports say "UCLA will reap an eight-figure gain annually" with the move.
Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times pointed out the Pac-12's "archaic TV deal" has hamstrung powerhouse programs from a financial perspective, with the conference giving $33.6 million to each school in 2019-20 when the Big Ten gave an average of $49.2 million to its schools in that same period.
The gap figures to only grow, considering the Big Ten agreed to a new television rights contract with CBS, Fox, NBC, NBCUniversal's Peacock, Big Ten Network and FS1 in August. It will start in July 2023 and run through the 2029-30 season and give the conference between $7 billion and $8 billion.
Escalators could even bring the value to $10 billion.
Money talks, and USC and UCLA are headed to the Big Ten even if some within the Pac-12 wish it wasn't happening.
ESPN College Gameday 2022: Week 8 Location Hosts, TV Schedule and Predictions
Oct 21, 2022
Oregon quarterback Bo Nix (10) passes against Stanford during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Andy Nelson)
Only two Pac-12 teams have reached the College Football Playoff since the system was implemented in 2014. Oregon was part of the inaugural tournament, and Washington made the CFP two years later.
Over the past five seasons, the Pac-12 has been shut out of the annual event, but that could soon change. No. 9 UCLA and No. 10 Oregon are two of the top teams in the country this year, and one could go on to win the Pac-12 championship and even reach the CFP.
That's why this Saturday is so important. The undefeated Bruins are going on the road to face the Ducks in a marquee matchup with potential playoff implications. Whichever team wins will be the front-runner for the Pac-12 title.
It's a huge clash, and ESPN's College GameDay will be in Eugene for the occasion. The popular college football kickoff show airs live at 9 a.m. ET on Saturdays on ESPN, with this week's edition taking place at Memorial Quad on Oregon's campus.
Before further breaking down the UCLA-Oregon matchup, here's the schedule for ranked teams in Week 8, along with predictions for each game.
Week 8 Top 25 Schedule, Predictions
Saturday, Oct. 22
Iowa at No. 2 Ohio State, noon ET, Fox
Tennessee-Martin at No. 3 Tennessee, noon ET, SEC Network
No. 14 Syracuse at No. 5 Clemson, noon ET, ABC
No. 21 Cincinnati at SMU, noon ET, ESPN
No. 7 Ole Miss at LSU, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox
No. 20 Texas at No. 11 Oklahoma State, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Boston College at No. 13 Wake Forest, 3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network
Memphis at No. 25 Tulane, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 24 Mississippi State at No. 6 Alabama, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Minnesota at No. 16 Penn State, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 17 Kansas State at No. 8 TCU, 8 p.m. ET, FS1
Picks in bold.
UCLA-Oregon Preview
Oregon hasn't had much trouble against UCLA in recent years. The Ducks have won nine of the past 10 meetings between the two programs, including each of the past three. The only win for the Bruins during that stretch came in 2017.
It's been even longer since UCLA has won in Eugene. The last time the Bruins defeated the Ducks on the road was in 2004.
However, this year's UCLA team is better than recent iterations. And head coach Chip Kelly, who was in charge at Oregon from 2009-12, will likely have the Bruins ready to play a competitive game on Saturday.
UCLA will be in a hostile environment, but it will be one the 58-year-old is familiar with. However, he has lost his two most recent trips back to Eugene, in 2018 and 2020.
"It's a difficult place to play, just like anything in this league," Kelly told reporters. "You go to Washington and it's hard; you go to Oregon, it's hard. I think that's part of it when you're playing meaningful games in October is you've got to be prepared for crowd noise, so we'll be prepared for it."
This season, UCLA has been well-prepared every week. It is the only unbeaten team remaining in the Pac-12, after winning each of its first six games. Those include home wins over Washington and Utah in its previous two contests before the Week 7 bye.
UCLA isn't the only Pac-12 team with an unblemished conference record, though. Oregon also hasn't lost to a conference rival this season.
After suffering a 49-3 loss to No. 1 Georgia in the season opener, the Ducks have won five straight games. They're 3-0 in conference play, having defeated Washington State, Stanford and Arizona in their past three contests.
It's been an impressive turnaround for Oregon, but it hasn't faced a team as talented as UCLA during its winning streak. And with College GameDay in town, this matchup has a big-game feel.
"These are games that don't take a lot of pep talks. Guys are excited," Ducks head coach Dan Lanning told reporters. "We all realize the moment here. Guys want to play at a high level. But it's also about keeping that energy directed, right? That's what it's aboutāa one-play focus."
This may not be the only time that UCLA and Oregon meet this season. It's possible both teams could reach the Pac-12 Championship Game on Dec. 2, but plenty of things can change between now and then.
However, whichever team wins Saturday will have a legitimate chance to reach the College Football Playoff, while the loser likely won't.
So, even though there's plenty of football to play over the next six weeks, this is an important game for UCLA and Oregon. And it's a matchup that could go either way, considering how strong both teams are.
Pac-12's George Kliavkoff Has 'Significant' Concerns over UCLA's Move to Big Ten
Sep 23, 2022
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 29, 2022 - - Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff makes his opening remarks at the start of the Pac-12 Media Day at The Novo at L.A. LIVE on July 29, 2022. The one-day event features all 12 head coaches and two student-athletes from each university, as well as representatives from the Pac-12 Conference staff. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff
expressed "significant concerns" about UCLA's impending
move to the Big Ten in 2024.
Kliavkoff wrote a letter to the
University of California Board of Regents on Thursday, suggesting the
conference change will negatively impact student-athletes' mental
health while also leading to increased travel and operational costs,
per ESPN's Kyle Bonagura.
"Any financial gains UCLA will
achieve by joining the Big Ten will end up going to airline and
charter companies, administrators and coaches' salaries and other
recipients rather than providing any additional resources for
student-athletes," Kliavkoff said.
The Big Ten announced in June it voted
to accept UCLA and USC, a Pac-12 school that is a private university, as new members
beginning in August 2024.
Kliavkoff's comments about the
potential negative impact on student-athletes are in direct contrast
with UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond, who said the move will
help Bruins players.
Jarmond explained on ESPN's
SportsCenter in July (via Derek Peterson of Saturday Out West) the
increased "national exposure" from playing in games with more
reasonable start times for people in other time zones is a huge plus
for possible NIL deals.
"So, in a name, image and likeness
era, and a student-athlete finding their voice and their brand and
what's important to them, this gives them a national platform, that
they can be seen in ways that we haven't been able to," Jarmond
said.
He added: "We want to position our
student-athletes at UCLA to be the best and to be in a position of
strength."
Kliavkoff also stated UCLA faces a
minimum of a 100 percent increase in travel costs to play in the Big
Ten (up to $16.2 million from $8.1 million) and the overall cost
could rise to $31.1 million if the school relies solely on charter
flights rather than commercial.
Internally, the athletic department is
expecting an uptick in travel costs between $6 million and $10
million annually, per Bonagura.
A UCLA spokesperson declined comment to
ESPN about Kliavkoff's letter.
It's unclear whether the University of
California Board of Regents has any power to block the school's planned conference
change amid meetings about the move.
UCLA and USC are among a growing number
of schools expected to change conferences over the next few years
amid widespread college sports realignment.
Losing two of its most storied programs
would be a major blow to the Pac-12, especially if it can't find
suitable replacements amid the evolving landscape.
Troy Aikman: UCLA Attendance vs. Southern Alabama at Rose Bowl an 'Embarrassment'
Sep 17, 2022
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 17: Dorian Thompson-Robinson #1 of the UCLA Bruins passes the ball against the South Alabama Jaguars during the first half at Rose Bowl on September 17, 2022 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
The UCLA Bruins defeated the South Alabama Jaguars 32-31 on Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, with a last-minute field goal, but even the excitement of a win couldn't hide the fact that there was a lack of fans in the stands.
Former UCLA and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman called the emptiness of Rose Bowl Stadium "embarrassing" and also took a shot at how poorly the team played on Saturday despite the win.
This is an embarrassment but we couldnāt fill the Rose Bowl in 1988 when we were the #1 team in the country. Anyone else at UCLA think itās time for an on-campus 30,000 seat stadium? Of course, if we canāt play better than we did today, it would be half-empty too. pic.twitter.com/jteVU8XV76
UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 20 of 30 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns in a solid outing. However, the team had four penalties for 42 yards and turned the ball over twice.
Rose Bowl Stadium is an hour away from the UCLA campus, which diminishes the crowd and game-day atmosphere. If the school had a stadium on campus or even significantly closer to campus, maybe more fans would attend games.
The Bruins are 3-0 this season, but they have yet to face a ranked opponent and won't do so until they face No. 14 Utah next month. So Aikman does have a point saying that UCLA wouldn't fill a stadium closer to campus unless it plays better.
UC Regent on UCLA Leaving Pac-12 for Big Ten: 'All Options Are on the Table'
Aug 18, 2022
TEMPE, AZ - DECEMBER 05: A UCLA Bruins helmet during the college football game between the UCLA Bruins and the Arizona State Sun Devils on December 5, 2020 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
UCLA reportedly faces a significant roadblock in its plans to jump from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten.
According to Ben Bolch and Teresa Watanabe of the Los Angeles Times, a University of California regent said after a closed session Wednesday that the regents retain power to block UCLA's move.
"All options are on the table," regent John Perez said.
On June 30, it was announced that UCLA and USC were approved as new members of the Big Ten starting in 2024, sending more shock waves through the ever-changing college sports landscape. According to The Athletic's Stewart Mandel, the belief was that UCLA chancellor Gene Block "did not need Board of Regents approval for a campus-level athletics decision like conference membership."
However, UC system attorney Charlie Robinson indicated that was not the case during the regents' meeting: "Itās important to understand that when the regents delegated authority to the president, they didnāt give it away or lose it. Essentially, what they did was extend it such that authority was with the regents and the president."
Robinson added that the regents have the ability to assume complete control of the school's decision: "One mechanism would be for the [regent] board chair to say, 'I'm directing you, in this instance, to stand down,' and the board will be exercising authority in this area."
Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom demanded an explanation for UCLA's jump from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten and expressed his displeasure with the lack of transparency regarding the move. UCLA and USC were included in the Big Ten's announcement Thursday of its new television deal reportedly worth $7-8 billion, with each school in the conference expected to earn around $100 million annually.
While it isn't known whether the regents will block UCLA's move, it's clear that an assertion of the board's power is under serious consideration.
"Weāre going to look at what all the different options look like and then the board will assert itself in terms of what its desired outcome is," Perez said.
