UCLA at Oklahoma 9/8
Oklahoma had Georgia on the ropes with a chance to play in the National Championship Game on the line. Things fell apart for the Sooners in the second half of the Rose Bowl and they ended up losing in overtime. Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield became the first pick in the NFL Draft, so head coach Lincoln Riley will have to continue his first-year success with a new signal-caller at the helm. Kyler Murray is the frontrunner for the job. He will play college football this season despite being drafted ninth overall by the Oakland Athletics in the MLB Draft. Riley is one of college football’s hottest young coaches and his offensive schemes have already been taken and repackaged in many NFL playbooks.
While Oklahoma has the hot new offense at the forefront of innovation, UCLA has a new head coach who occupied a similar space when he was leading Oregon from 2007 through 2012. Chip Kelly is back in college football, and he will look to improve on the Josh Rosen era in Pasadena. NFL poached Kelly in 2013 for his reputation of being light years ahead of his peers. But his early success ran out quickly at the professional level. Kelly is still a college football legend and his return will be highly anticipated. The Bruins’ trip to Norman in September will be a big early test for Kelly.
