The Westside’s most recognized university will host one of college football’s most elite programs in 2021, as Louisiana State University will visit UCLA at the Rose Bowl in 2021.
Three years later, the Tigers will return the favor and host the Bruins at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.
UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero announced the two-game home-and-home series on March 31.
This week’s announcement is the latest in UCLA’s attempt to schedule games against some of the best teams in college football. Future games are already scheduled against elite or nationally recognized programs such as Texas A&M (2016 and 2017), Oklahoma (2018 and 2019), and Michigan (2022 and 2023).
Within the PAC-12 conference, the Bruins already play against programs consistently in the national discussion, including Oregon, Stanford, and USC.
LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M had finished in the Top 25 of the final Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings the last two seasons, according to UCLA Athletics.
“In LSU, a perennial SEC power, we are pleased to add yet another marquee opponent to our future schedule,” Guerrero stated. “With such upcoming non-conference games taking us around the country to places like Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Michigan, we’re able to nationally showcase UCLA Football while strengthening our resume come playoff season.”
The Bruins will open its 2021 season against LSU at the Rose Bowl; according to UCLA, the game is schedule for Sept. 4, 2021.
LSU hails from the Southeastern Conference, or SEC, considered by many analysts and insiders to be the best conference in college football. Teams from the conference have won nine national titles since 1998.
Les Miles is currently LSU’s head coach; in his nine years walking the Tigers’ sideline, Miles has compiled a 95-24 record. LSU has won three national titles in the poll era, the most recent in 2007. The Tigers won its first national championship in the poll era was in 1958, four years after UCLA claimed its sole college football title.
UCLA has played in 28 other games versus SEC opponents, compiling a 13-12-3 record in that stretch. The Bruins’ most recent win against an SEC team came in 2009 at the hands of the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville.
Spring practice for the Bruins begins April 1 at 7 a.m. at Spaulding Field on the campus of UCLA in Westwood. The program’s 2014 season kicks off Aug. 30 at Charlottesville, Vir., as UCLA takes on Virginia.
Bruins third-year quarterback Brett Hundley is a prospective Heisman Trophy candidate. The award is given to college football’s best player at the end of each season.
