The UCLA football team, according to Coach Chip Kelly, has as much depth as he’s ever had in his six seasons in Westwood.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t uncertainties and questions. Here are five to consider for the Bruins:

Can UCLA win the Pac-12 championship?

The Bruins were voted sixth in the conference’s preseason media poll, but there’s still a chance for the team to slip into the title game if things shake out right.

UCLA has as much talent as any other Pac-12 team and has a favorable schedule. It still features USC, Oregon State and Utah, who were all ranked ahead of them by college football pundits. The added downside is all three of those games are on the road, starting with the conference opener against the Utes.

The Bruins will need some help from Oregon, USC and Washington, who will all play one another and potentially cannibalize each other in the process. The Bruins must help themselves by not losing a game they should win, such as the Arizona game at the Rose Bowl last season, which became the first of three losses in their last four games.

 Will the defense be able to help carry the offense early?

The defense has the depth and talent to hold its own this season, but it remains to be seen how things will operate with new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn.

It will be the third defense coordinator the Bruins have had in three years and it will be the first time Lynn is calling plays at the college level. Lynn received a vote of confidence from Kelly when he was hired to take the role and the players have bought into Lynn and his philosophy.

The Bruins have placed an urgency on creating turnover opportunities to put the ball back in the hands of its offense. The defense had 28 sacks, 11 interceptions, 10 forced fumbles and seven recoveries last year.

How much better can the secondary be?

The secondary has struggled at times in recent years, but Kelly made some changes throughout the offseason that could help further the development.

The coaching staff has three key resources available now with the addition of Kodi Whitfield as the Bruins’ cornerbacks coach and Lynn, who was the Baltimore Ravens’ safeties coach.

The cornerbacks and defensive backs were split two into different groups for the first time this year, providing each unit with the fundamentals and attention to detail asked of their respective positions.

Cornerback Devin Kirkwood has credited Whitfield for coming in and helping him understand leverage and analyzing body language

Brian Norwood had been coaching both units since he arrived in 2020 but will specifically work with the safeties this season.

Who will replace Kazmeir Allen?

The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Allen, known for his speed and versatility during his time at UCLA, is now a member of the NFL’s Washington Commanders. The initial depth chart for the season shows that it will take three players to fill his shoes.

Colson Yankoff has showed his versatility at the college level as a quarterback, receiver and running back, but this year he’s surprisingly earned the role as a kick returner. Yankoff is 6-foot-4, 225 pounds and isn’t brought up by teammates when asked who’s the fastest player on the roster, but Kelly must have some level of confidence in the redshirt senior.

Keegan Jones is listed as the second returner and carries a similar body type to Allen. Jones has also been similarly used in practice, working with the receivers and running backs.

Logan Loya steps up at receiver after serving as the backup to Allen last year.

Who will handle the kicking and punting?

R.J. Lopez is locked in to handle kickoff duties again this year, but there’s some uncertainty on who will handle the field goals. Kelly wanted to let the rest of this week play out before deciding who’s won the battle between Lopez and Montana State transfer Blake Glessner.

Lopez was the backup to Nicholas Barr-Mira last season and didn’t have a single kick attempt. Glessner etched his name in the MSU record books with 251 career points, second-most among kickers and third all-time. He also had 44 career field goals, tying him for third all-time. Glessner should be the favorite to earn the starting role.

Princeton transfer Will Powers didn’t participate in the spring but displayed enough of his punting ability over the summer to win the starting job. He’s a redshirt senior and a three-time All-Ivy League punter. He averaged 39.7 yards per attempt with a career-high 12 of his 33 punts landing inside the 20-yard line.

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