UCLA Bruins 2009 College Football Predictions - 2010 BCS Odds: It's no understatement to say the UCLA Bruins football program doesn't like playing second fiddle in Tinseltown or the Pac-10 Conference to that private school on the South-End, the USC Trojans - but that's exactly what the Bruins have been doing ever since Pete Carroll took over the Trojans program. Now beginning his second season at the helm of the Bruins, coach Rick Neuheisel is working hard to at least balance things out in the City of Angels.

Online oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com have the Bruins listed on its 2010 BCS betting board at 100-to-1 odds of winning the National Championship. Sportsbook.com has set the win betting total on UCLA at 6.5 games.

“I expect us to be much improved on offense this season,” said the Bruin head coach. “While our record was not what we wanted it to be a year ago, a lot of players saw action and most of them are back. With a year in the system and our offensive staff, led by coordinator Norm Chow, intact, we feel we are ready to move forward. There was great competition at virtually every position during Spring drills and it
will be fun to watch it all come together this Fall."

Offensively, UCLA returns several major contributors from last season. The top two wide receivers in terms of receptions, Terrence Austin and Taylor Embree are back as is tight end Ryan Moya, who made 38 catches while starting just two games. Austin ranked seventh in the Pac-10 with 4.4 receptions per game. Kevin Craft started all 12 games at quarterback and completed 232 passes, the secondhighest total in school history.

Defensively, UCLA returns six starters, plus a 2007 starter and several other key performers from a unit that ranked eighth nationally in pass defense (167.67) and 47th in total defense (337.4).

The schedule features a trip to Tennessee of the SEC and home games versus Kansas State of the Big XII and San Diego State from the Mountain West Conference in the fi rst three weeks. Five of the nine Pac-10 conference games are on the road this season, beginning with a game at Stanford on October 3 and culminating with the season finale versus USC at the L.A. Coliseum on November 28.