Bowl season is still a ways away, but that doesn’t mean that predictions can’t be made. Coming off a 5-7 inaugural season in the Big Ten, the base-level expectation for DeShaun Foster and the UCLA Bruins is to make a bowl game this season.

It’s a realistic (and expected) goal following the addition of former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iammaleava, among other huge additions in the transfer portal. ESPN college football insiders Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach tried to predict every single bowl matchup ahead of the season, and they have the Bruins going back to an awfully familiar place.

The insiders have UCLA taking its fourth trip to El Paso, Texas, in 20 years to take on Virginia in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. This means the Bruins would match up against the Cavaliers in the Sun Bowl Stadium on New Year’s Eve at 2 p.m. on CBS.

The Bruins have been a familiar program attending the Sun Bowl, with their last appearance coming in 2022, a 37-35 loss to Pittsburgh when UCLA was ranked 18th in the nation. Prior to that, the Bruins last made it in 2013, when they defeated Virginia Tech 42-12 as the No. 17 team in the nation.

All-in-all, a bowl game anywhere means a successful second year for Foster and the Bruins. But they have their sights set on even more.

How couldn’t they? Coming off a 5-7 record in its first season in the Big Ten and under coach DeShaun Foster, a slew of national pundits don’t feel UCLA improved much this offseason, despite shaking the college football landscape in the transfer portal, landing Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

The Bruins are holding fall camp off-site in Costa Mesa, and are living and breathing football 24/7, but they don’t care. Mikey Matthews, another transfer from Cal, detailed the sentiment during Saturday’s media availability.

“We all have a chip on our shoulder,” Matthews said. “We all love football, so it’s not like we’re all complaining or, ‘Why are we doing this? Why are we doing that?’ It’s everyone just locked in, heads down and we’re all just grinding. So, I’m really excited for this year, and I definitely feel this team is special.”

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Read more on UCLA football and their momentous second season in the Big Ten and under DeShaun Foster here. While you’re here, check out all things UCLA basketball and Mick Cronin improving the Bruins through the transfer portal here.

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