For the second consecutive year, the No. 13 UCLA Bruins and Virginia Cavaliers play each other in a season opener. The Cavs visit the Rose Bowl on Saturday, September 5, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET. Fox Sports 1 will have television coverage.
How to watch Virginia vs. UCLA on TV or online, plus 3 things to know
The Bruins and Cavaliers replay last season’s closer-than-expected opener at the Rose Bowl.
UCLA may have fallen slightly short of preseason expectations last season, but the Bruins still won 10 games and finished the campaign with an Alamo Bowl victory over Kansas State. UCLA lost quarterback Brett Hundley to graduation and very little else. Freshman Josh Rosen won a training camp battle with Jerry Neuheisel for the starting spot and will be under center against Virginia.
Meanwhile, Virginia enters another season under Mike London, with the sixth-year coach firmly on the hot seat. Virginia has not posted a winning record since 2011, though the Cavaliers improved to 5-7 last year. Virginia’s scheduler did London no favors: The Cavaliers open with three ranked non-conference opponents in September.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Online streaming: Fox Sports Go
Three big things to know
1. UCLA could be a man down. The Bruins defense could be short-handed, as defensive back Ishmael Adams was arrested Monday for allegedly stealing a cell phone from an Uber driver. With Adams' bail set at a steep $100,000, the odds of him being cleared for Saturday look extremely low.
2. Mike London: America’s longest-running hot seat? Everyone thought London was as good as fired after a 2-10 season in 2013. Somehow, he survived. Everyone thought London was finished after he missed a bowl game in 2014. He’s still here. He now faces a brutal schedule and has to replace a starting quarterback who transferred to Georgia. Is this finally the end for London?
3. Slow-starting UCLA. The Bruins looked like a potential national champion before last season, but close wins against Virginia, Memphis and Texas led to losses against Utah and Oregon. In 2015, UCLA has to negotiate the Pac-12 South, arguably the toughest division in football. But the Bruins also avoid Oregon and face three manageable non-conference opponents. Can UCLA find its legs -- and break in its new quarterback -- before Arizona, Arizona State and Stanford come calling in late September?
Further reading
All the Virginia news you need is available at Streaking the Lawn, while Bruins Nation has been covering UCLA football for as long as the internet can remember.
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