Well, it’s finally here. Summer is over and the football season is just days away. For Texas A&M, it’s a time of tempered optimism following back-to-back 8-5 seasons. The Aggies open the 2016 campaign on Saturday when they host UCLA at Kyle Field in a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff. The game will be televised nationally by CBS.

The team from way out west is a relative unknown given its geographical distance from east Texas. But here are a few things to ponder relative to the Bruins’ program as the finals days are counted down until kickoff.

1. Josh Rosen, QB – The UCLA signal-caller had a spectacular freshman season in 2015. He was among the top 20 quarterbacks in the country in passing yards with 3,668 yards. He threw for 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He completed 60 percent of his passes on the year (292-for-487). He was the first true freshman to start a season opener at UCLA. The “Rosen One,” as he is sometimes referred to out on the west coast, set numerous school records in his first season.

Among them are most passing yard average per game (282.2), most consecutive passing attempts without an interception (245), most passes attempted in a game (57 vs. Washington State), most completions in a game (34 vs. Cal), most passing attempts in a season (487), and he tied the school record for most 300-yard passing games in a season (6).

2. Bruins familiar with Noel Mazzone – Whether or not it turns out to be an advantage, UCLA is quite familiar with the new Texas A&M offensive coordinator. He spent four seasons with the Bruins in the same capacity before coming to College Station. He brings the same up-tempo, quick-play system to Texas A&M that he implemented over the years at UCLA. The Bruins finished fourth or better in the Pac-12 in total offense in two of those four seasons.

3. Jim L. Mora, UCLA head coach – The son of retired NFL head coach Jim E. Mora, known for his rant when asked about his team’s chances of making the playoffs. You’ll remember: “Playoffs?! Don’t talk about playoffs! Are you kidding me? Playoffs?!” Yeah, that guy. Well his son is hoping to take the Bruins to the Pac-12 championship and a possible berth in the College Football Playoff.

Mora is beginning his fifth season at UCLA. Before that, he was a head coach in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons (2004-06) and the Seattle Seahawks (2009). He was an assistant coach in the NFL prior to that with stops in San Diego (1985-91), New Orleans (1992-96) and San Francisco (1997-2003).

4. Shared frustrations over stopping the run, or the inability to do so – While Texas A&M ranked 107th in the nation against the run last season, giving up an average of 213.7 yards per game, UCLA wasn’t much better. Ranked 97th in the country against the run, the Bruins yielded an average of 198.5 yards per game.

UCLA’s excuse was a plethora of injuries, which may or may not have had anything to do with Mazzone’s quick offense that produced many 3-and-outs, putting a tired defense back onto the field. Texas A&M is without excuse, and in his second season as defensive coordinator, John Chavis will continue to make strides for the Aggies in that department.

5. UCLA picked to win Pac-12 South – The Bruins are the media’s preseason pick to win the Pac-12 South and face Stanford in the conference championship game. Under Mora, the Bruins have been ranked in the preseason polls the last four years, and it’s the third time that Mora’s Bruins have been the media’s pick to win their division.