UCLA adds Cal, Utah to future football schedules

The changes, which rekindle those Pac-12 rivalries and remove games against Georgia and Auburn, impact the 2025-2030 seasons.

The UCLA football program announced several changes to its future schedules on Wednesday that will rekindle a pair of previous Pac-12 rivalries.

The changes – which include adding games against Cal and Utah and dropping games against Georgia and Auburn – impact the 2025-2030 seasons.

Utah is scheduled to return to Pasadena on Aug. 30, 2025 before the Bruins complete the home-and-home series in Salt Lake City on Sept. 7, 2030. The Bruins lead the all-time series against the Utes 12-9.

UCLA and Cal had played one another every year since 1933 but that streak will end this fall with Cal playing an Atlantic Coast Conference schedule while UCLA plays a Big Ten Conference schedule.

The rivalry almost ended when an initial schedule for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season did not have the two teams playing against one another. However, when each team had one of their respective opponents back out of games due to COVID-19, the in-state rivals put a game together on short notice. UCLA leads the all-time series against Cal 57-35.

UC Davis is also slated to play the Bruins in the future as a nonconference opponent on Aug. 28, 2027 and Sept. 1, 2029 at the Rose Bowl.

UCLA reached mutual agreements with a pair of Southeastern Conference teams, Georgia and Auburn, to negate previously scheduled home-and-home series.

Georgia was scheduled to travel to the Rose Bowl in 2025 for a nonconference game against the Bruins before hosting a matchup between the teams in 2026.

Auburn was to visit the Rose Bowl in 2027 and host UCLA in 2028.

UCLA had previously had Wisconsin as a nonconference opponent for 2029 and 2030 but those games became nullified when the Bruins joined the Big Ten. Northwestern also had an agreement for a home-and-home series with UCLA for September of the 2033 and 2034 seasons, which was nullified for the same reason.

GAME READY

UCLA’s NIL collective Men of Westwood announced on Monday that it will host an event on July 16 to celebrate the launch of the EA Sports College Football 25 video game.

The game returns for the first time since 2013 and will feature 85-player rosters to represent the 134 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

“The launch of this game is a huge milestone for the players who finally get to be compensated for their likeness in a video game, as well as for fans who have patiently waited for its return,” said Ken Graiwer, the founder and CEO of the Men of Westwood. “We couldn’t let the moment pass without a celebration, and this event is a great way to bring fans and the football program closer together ahead of an exciting season.”

Fans will have an opportunity to purchase a ticket package that will provide opportunities to play the game with current players, take photographs and take a tour of the football facility.

All proceeds from the event will go toward NIL opportunities for the players.

EA Sports has slowly announced different features and aspects of the games in recent weeks and announced its top 100 ranked players in the game on Wednesday. A Bruin was not featured among that list.

The official UCLA roster in the game or official overall ratings has not been revealed but quarterback Ethan Garbers, running back TJ Harden and receiver J.Michael Sturdivant are expected to be featured.

Garbers was one of several college football players who initially announced he would be in the game with a social media post in February. Sturdivant’s and Harden’s likenesses had previously been featured in some of the released trailers for the game.

The game will be available on July 16 for those who preorder it. It will be available to everyone when it is officially released on July 19.

NEW HIRE

UCLA has hired Corey Miller as its new head football performance coach.

Miller will be tasked with leading the team’s strength and conditioning program, replacing Keith Belton who has departed the program for another opportunity.

Miller previously worked for the Bruins as the director of speed and movement from February 2022 until June 2023 before taking a job as an assistant director with the Carolina Panthers in the NFL.

“I was impressed by Coach Miller’s ability to get the most out of players during his previous time with our program,” UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster said in a statement this week. “With his added NFL experience, I feel there is no one better to uphold our pillars while preparing the Bruins for Big Ten Conference play and beyond.”