In Reply to: One thing we do have going for us this time is TIME! posted by BruinPatti on September 15, 2025 at 17:02:38
I think when Terry Donahue left, we had time (and we did pretty well with Toledo, right up until both entitlement (the handicapped parking stuff) AND the Pete Carroll hire by 'SC blew that up. Can also say we had time for the Kelly hire, as Neu was notified, but kept coaching.
But, in the sense of the long term clock, if UCLA football doesn't want to be on the outside looking in, we have until 2029 (or maybe '30) before the next round of College Football musical chairs/conference realignment/the super conference comes into play as the current TV contracts expire. At that time, I fully expect the Super Conference thing to happen, and if we aren't a consistent top 20 program capable of top 5 finishes and playoff berths by then, we're out.
And, realistically, we haven't been a consistent top 20 program since Toledo and Donahue, when we were getting a much larger share of the TV time and revenue than other schools.
We are looking at being a Mountain West program in College Football's next era if the next coach can't deliver.