The landscapes of both the Pac-10 Conference and UCLA football changed following the 2010 season.
The Bruins and coach Rick Neuheisel took the wrecking ball to both coordinators Norm Chow and Chuck Bullough. Mike Johnson and Joe Tresey were then shipped into the concrete jungle as part of Neuheisel’s last-ditch effort to save his job and the respectability of his alma mater’s program.
The Pac-10 and commissioner Larry Scott were more interested in growing, importing two teams from the Rocky Mountain region. Colorado and Utah were brought in to make up the Pac-12 Conference, which will begin play in September.
Coaches, players and media members throughout the conference converged on the Fox Studios Lot in Century City on Tuesday to participate in the inaugural Pac-12 Media Day, the first conference event that saw representatives from the two new schools incorporated.
Talk throughout the event centered on the conference’s two newest teams.
“Today is the dawn of a new day for this storied conference, and we’re thrilled with the additions of Colorado and Utah,” Scott said to open the day.
The expansion of the conference resulted in a split into two divisions: North and South. As far as the Bruins are concerned, the Buffaloes and Utes will be joining them in the South Division. Other changes include the addition of the Pac-12 Championship Game, in which the winners of each division will face off, and an altered schedule that won’t see each team play all the other nine as in years past.
“I think it’s the right move for Colorado,” Neuheisel said. “Having coached there, I know that California recruiting is vital to their success. And now being part of the Pac-12 and having games in the state of California on an annual basis is going to be a huge boon to their recruiting.”
Neuheisel’s not the only one reuniting with old friends. Several players on Colorado’s and Utah’s rosters come from Southern California. Colorado quarterback Tyler Hansen graduated from nearby Chaparral High School.
“Being from California, I grew up a Pac-10 fan, watching Pac-10 games,” Hansen said. “So being my senior year and being part of the Pac-12 is something that’s really special. I look forward to competing against Pac-12 teams.”
UCLA was picked by the media to finish fifth in the South Division of the conference, while Colorado was picked sixth. Colorado’s coach, Jon Embree, is the father of Bruins wide receiver Taylor Embree and a former coach at UCLA. Neuheisel said he and Embree have become fast friends after a reporter suggested the UCLA head man didn’t have many allies within the conference.
Chow, meanwhile, ended up at Utah as its offensive coordinator and has ushered in a change in offensive schematics, according to coach Kyle Whittingham. The Utes are moving from a spread formation to a pro-style set, a far cry from the pistol formation that wreaked havoc on UCLA’s passing game a season ago.
The Bruins’ Nov. 12 matchup against the Utes should make for some interesting football when Chow faces his former school. He also has a similar matchup headed his way on Sept. 10, when Utah faces USC at the Coliseum.
If UCLA were to lose to Utah though, it would be losing in more ways than one. Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times reported that UCLA is paying Chow $500,000 this season as part of his buyout package, nearly equaling his 2011 salary in Utah.
Regardless of old relationships, new rivals and new divisions, Neuheisel knows it’s time to put up or shut up and said as much to the media.
“It’s a great challenge,” Neuheisel said. “I have a real stake in this. This is not just my job, it’s my alma mater. It’s kind of my dream to be the head coach at UCLA.”