UCLA's 2014 and 2015 regular seasons ended in similar fashion. Both times, the Bruins had a chance to clinch the Pac-12 South title in the finale. And both times, they came up short in blowout fashion. Last season, Stanford beat UCLA 31-10. This season, it was crosstown rival USC that did the same damage in a 40-21 rout.

So the Bruins are left to pick up the pieces again in Westwood. The Foster Farms Bowl appears to be a likely destination for the Bruins, so there is some finger-pointing happening since some projected this team to win the Pac-12 South. There is also regret about season-ending injuries to Myles Jack, Eddie Vanderdoes, and Fabian Moreau. That set of players certainly would have helped the UCLA defense -- especially against the run, where the Bruins were vulnerable to the power attack at critical junctures of the season.

The good news for UCLA is that quarterback Josh Rosen will be around for at least two more seasons, so Jim Mora has a foundation around which to build in the foreseeable future. The Daily Bruin writes that Rosen fumbled his first opportunity to beat USC, but he will obviously have chances to atone for that frustrating performance moving forward.

"There’s a lot of plays that I wish I had back," Rosen told the paper. "I just didn’t play like myself, and that’s frustrating."

Though Rosen has a mulligan waiting for him, defensive tackle Kenny Clark -- perhaps the most important player on UCLA's defense -- might be near the end of his college football playing days. The junior is strongly considering an early entry into the NFL draft. If that move happens, Mora's rebuilding job on the defensive side will be daunting.

The success of that rebuilding effort will determine whether UCLA season reviews a year from now, like this one, change their disappointed tone. The Bruins are at a crossroads: There is fear that their late-season struggles indicate the program has hit a plateau, so a breakthrough will be demanded in 2016.