Expectations ‘07

First up … DumpDorrell.com expectations for '07. Below that you will find the expectations and comments from the players, Dan Guerrero, Karl Dorrell, local and national media, and sports analysts and prognosticators have as well. And lets not forget what Morgan Center predicted in the Spring (win Pac-10, beat SuC by 20). For background info, check out Karl Dorrell's record to date.

1. DumpDorrell Expectations and Predictions (full post here)

So here is our prediction: We think the worst case scenario will happen - Karl Dorrell will lead UCLA to a 9-3 record, and lose in an insignificant bowl to end the season 9-4, starting out 6-0 with the easy opening schedule, then quickly doing the annual end of season flop. Obviously, we EXPECT more .. we EXPECT a Pac-10 championship and a trip to a BCS bowl game, things Guerrero and Dorrell himself said was expected of Dorrell when he was hired, and he has yet to come close to achieving.

2. Dan Guerrero Expectations For The Season (full post here)

"The important thing this year" Guerrero said, "is that we don't beat ourselves, that we play with consistency, that we're an excellent second half team and that we improve as the year progresses." We will be following Dorrell's progress with respect to these criteria Dan Guerrero stipulated. You can follow the analysis under the post category Guerrero Grades after each game.

3. Summary of Pre-Season Rankings, Predictions and Comments (full post here)

10 - Sporting News - "UCLA gave Dorrell another year on the new deal he signed a year ago, guaranteeing him through 2011. But that doesn't mean his seat won't warm up if the Bruins sputter."

11 - College Football News - "If everything comes together this might be one of the 5 best teams in America."

11 - MSNBC - "The Bruins are on the upswing - finally - with 20 returning starters and a realistic shot at earning a BCS bowl bid."

11 - Washington Post - "With a national-best 20 starters returning for this season, became a chic preseason selection."

13 - CBS Sportsline - "Karl Dorrell needs to go to shells and shorts in August. Twenty starters are back. Why risk injury?"

14 - Associated Press - UCLA ranked #14 behind #12 California and #1 SuC.

15 - Athlon Sports - "The arrival of DeWayne Walker from the NFL coaching ranks as defensive coordinator was just what the doctor ordered."

17 - USA Today - UCLA ranked #17 nationally, behind #11 Cal and #1 SuC.

17 - Street & Smith - UCLA ranked #17 nationally, behind #11 Cal and #1 SuC.

20 - Dallas Star Telegram - "UCLA should have enough talent to stay near the top of the Pac-10."

20 - ESPN - "This will be a very important season for coach Karl Dorrell, who seemed to be on his way out until UCLA upset rival USC."

21 - Phil Steele - UCLA ranked #21 nationally, behind #18 Oregon and #1 SuC.

22 - Lindy Sports - "If the Bruins could be trusted to be more consistent, the ranking would be even higher."

23 - Vegas Oddsmakers - Tied for #23 with Tennesse, Texas A&M and the Field (any other team)

24 - Sports Illustrated - "Now, 20 starters return. It's time for Karl Dorell's team to take it to the next level."

28 - Jim Feist - "There are high hopes for 2007 with 10 starters back on both sides of the ball."

Unranked - Rivals - UCLA among "others receiving votes." Cal ranked #15, SuC #1.

Unranked - Blue Ribbon Yearbook - "The Bruins look a lot like a six- or seven-win team that finishes anywhere from fourth to sixth in the conference."

4. Other prognostications, rankings and comments worth noting:

Southern College Sports believes that UCLA will go 11-1 to finish 2nd to SuC in the conference. "Leading the charge at USC is a UCLA program that looks to have been rebuilt into a national powerhouse and will unleash its best team under the direction of Karl Dorrell."
Seattle Post Intelligencer has UCLA finishing #5 in the Pac-10. "If this team stays healthy and cohesive, it should do better than I have it ranked, but I've never seen a team completely avoid injuries and I don't think 21 assistant coaches in five seasons is good."
Sports Books have the odds of UCLA wins this season at under 9. "Squeezing even eight wins out of that (schedule) would have to be considered a major accomplishment."
Blue Ribbon Yearbook has UCLA finishing #6 in the conference!
Chris Dodd of CBS Sportsline has UCLA finishing #3 in the conference behind SuC and Cal, and picks UCLA as having the 7th toughest schedule in the nation.
Sporting News Matt Hayes has UCLA as his sleeper title pick! "UCLA has enough juice to win the whole enchilada." He wrote an entire article on the possibility.
Sporting News ranks UCLA's secondary as 3rd best in the nation, behind SuC at #1 (reported by LA Times)
Sporting News Matt Hayes says UCLA finally has a "complete team.""What more can Dorrell ask for?" Exactly.
ESPN's Pat Forde notes that "with 20 returning starters and a bunch of winnable road games, the time is now for UCLA to win back a share of Los Angeles and make a push into the national elite."
Sporting News Tom Dienhart says Dorrell is the 48th best coach in the country.
ESPN's Mark Schlabach says Dorrell is on the hot seat.
Daily News' Brian Dohn notes that there are "heated embers now burning under Dorrell's seat."
Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel says Dorrell is one of the 5 worst coaches in the country. Ouch. He bases his analysis on how the coaches did with what they had. "On paper, UCLA looks like a BCS contender this year, but Dorrell's track record doesn't inspire much confidence."
USA Today posted an article that said Dorrell was #1 on their list of coaches that "must win" this year.
Real Football 365 says Dorrell on the hot seat. "In fact, when you look at the talent on Dorrell's club alone, probably anything short of a nine- or 10-win season will get him canned."
MSNBC notes that Dorrell is not far from being the hot seat even as they rank us #11 nationally: "Karl Dorrell has grown into the job, but he never seems to stray far away from a potential hotseat."
ESPN's Pat Forde notes that if Karl's golf game is anything like his head-coaching career to date, he cards a bogey for every birdie.â€
LA Times' Chris Foster notes that UCLA fans have "zero tolerance" for another mediocre season. "The Bruins faithful have a bare minimum of expectations: double-digit victories and a bowl date that does not come with a trip to Fort Worth, Las Vegas, San Francisco or El Paso."
Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel writes column that asserts that the WCO, such as the one Dorrell uses, is too complicated for college football.
Athlon Sports asserts the we have a favorable schedule, as does the Dallas Star, Brian Dohn, Pat Forde, and others.
ESPN's Mark Schlabach thinks we have the 9th toughest schedule in the country. Sports Book Review calls our schedule "brutal." Southern College Sports calls it "tough."
Karl Dorrell admits publicly here, and here, that this year is the first time in 5 years that players are excited to go to Training Camp. Nice.
DE Bruce Davis notes that our team has "been a joke sometimes." Exactly.
Karl Dorrell downplays expectations during Media Day, saying that the team "worked very, very hard to get ourselves in the position to factor into the Conference race."
Karl Dorrell says this year "it's time to make a move."
UCLA Players say its "BCS or Bust" this year.
UCLA CB Trey Brown says defense standards are high, "Our standards are total domination."
UCLA TE Logan Paulsen says or WR corps is so "dynamic" that they will be "dangerous" for opposing defenses.
UCLA CB Trey Brown says "there are no excuses this season!"
UCLA Safety Chris Horton says "we are not going to tolerate small mistakes."
UCLA CB Rodney Van says "I think the capabilities of our defense is ridiculous, mentally, let alone physically."
UCLA CB Trey Brown says the defense is "trying to be the top defense in the nation." ""We're 100 times faster because we know what's going on. We kind of know what each other is thinking before somebody says it or makes a move. We're out there just clicking." "Anytime we get a turnover, that turnover is not enough. We're trying to put the ball in the end zone."
ESPN's Ted Miller says DC DeWayne Walker is hot coaching property and is set to get his own team.
Sporting News' Bruce Pascoe says Dorrell is future NFL coach.
Eric Scott's arrest gave a hit to the image of UCLA football a day before Media Day.
Karl Dorrell neglects star recruit Brian Price's paperwork during the Summer, while Dorrell was playing golf, resulting in Price's ineligibility to even stand on Spaulding Field. Unreal.
Karl Dorrell may lose redshirt year for WR Dominique Johnson due to a "coaching error." Unreal.