Chip Kelly is expected to make quite an impact at UCLA — back in the Pac-12 where he once dominated with Oregon — and that apparently is too much for one Big Ten program, Rutgers, to handle.
Rutgers was expected to play UCLA in a two game home-and-home series scheduled for 2020 and 2021, but college football reporter Bruce Feldman is reporting that the Scarlet Knights have officially backed out the series.
Not only have they backed out, though, but they're being punished for doing so. Per Feldman, Rutgers now owes UCLA a termination fee of $500,000:
The reason for Rutgers canceling the series is unknown, but perhaps it has to do with the fact that the Scarlet Knights were just recently swept by another Pac-12 power, Washington, in a home-and-home that saw Rutgers lose 48-13 at Washington in 2016, and 30-14 at home in 2017.
Rutgers has gone 6-18 in the past two seasons under head coach Chris Ash.