There will be no surprises this week for UCLA.
The Bruins play Stanford, which comes with a warning label — "intellectual brutality."
"It's kind of an oxymoron," UCLA linebacker Deon Hollins said. "They're Stanford, they have tough academic rigors."
The academic part is not the toughness the Bruins' defense will face in Palo Alto on Thursday.
The game will likely teeter on how well UCLA deals with Stanford's will to run. The Cardinal averages 209.8 yards rushing per game, 27th nationally. The Bruins allow 197.0 yards per game, 99th.
"They don't try to hide anything," Hollins said.