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BRISTOL, Conn. -- Two Pac-12 coaches visiting Wednesday for ESPN's "car wash" independently volunteered how good they thought UCLA was last year -- and how good it could be in the season that is rapidly approaching. On 2014: "They were the most talented team in the league last season," one told me. "By far. It wasn't even close." On 2015: "They're one of the most talented teams in the country," another said. "They really are." So while the spotlight might be shining a bit brighter on the program across town, the coaches in the league seem to favor the Bruins over USC -- at least on principle of talent. "It's the defense, to me," one coach told me. "They just have speed and depth that I don't think USC does. [Former Trojans lineman] Leonard Williams was a hell of a player and the safety [Su'a Cravens] is a great football player, but UCLA has more of those guys that can run." It all begs the question: Why didn't the Bruins get more out of it in 2014 than a 9-3 regular season? Some -- me, included -- projected a playoff berth. And yet ... In a 15-minute chat Wednesday, it became clear that UCLA coach Jim Mora is laboring to find answers for that very mystery. It's a team that blistered Arizona State 62-27 on the road one week, and lost at home to Utah the next. "We've got to find a way to build consistency," Mora told me. "You've got to come off a big, emotional win and play well the next week. We have to develop greater mental toughness than we've shown the last couple of years." One coach in the league even wondered if there were systemic issues that have derailed UCLA in the past, chemistry flaws that could again pop up. "I'm just not sure about that staff," he said.
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