BURBANK, Calif. -- Usually at media day events, there's room for the occasional quirky and fun question. UCLA coach Jim Mora didn't get many of those. He knew his time at Warner Bros. Studios would be met with a steady diet of "Q" and many helpings of "B."

In a fruitless effort to deflect the onslaught of "Who will be your quarterback?" queries, Mora offered a preemptive strike in his opening remarks:

"The obvious question for us this year that I've been asked already a hundred times in the last two days is: 'Who is our quarterback going to be?' So I can just tell you right now before anyone asks me again, I don't know. When I know, I'll let you know."

Smash-cut to the first question where … well … you can guess what happened next.

"I've probably answered the question a couple of hundred times over the last two days," Mora said, forcing a begrudged smile.

And it make sense. Whoever takes over the UCLA offense commands a team in the top 15 that should be in the hunt in the ultra-competitive Pac-12 South. The candidates are veteran backup Jerry Neuheisel and lauded true freshman Josh Rosen. The media who cover the conference picked the Bruins to finish third in the division behind USC and ASU -- specifically because quarterback is such a question mark despite the Bruins being deep and experienced at nearly every other position.

Mora had a semi-competition in his first year at UCLA, even though most people figured before Easter that Brett Hundley would be the guy. And he was -- going on to have one of the most accomplished careers in UCLA history.

Mora named Hundley the starter fairly early in fall camp of 2012. He'd like some expediency with this decision, but said it's something that has to happen organically.

"I'd like to decide sooner rather than later, but I can't force that to happen," Mora said. "I think Josh is tremendously talented. But I think Jerry has some special qualities. You saw his dad [Rick] play. I played against him. He's a winner and Jerry has some of that. … It's got to happen the right way."

As the Bruins prepare for Fall Camp in San Bernardino, the main rotation at quarterback will include Rosen, Neuheisel and Mike Fafaul. Asiantii Woulard transferred last month -- which Mora sees as a positive because it opens up more reps. The downside is it's one less person pushing the frontrunners.

And unlike the 2012 competition, the quarterback-to-be inherits a much stronger squad than Hundley did. Many think Rosen will be the "to-be" by some point in the season -- be it Week 1 or Week 6.

"We've got an experienced offensive line," Mora said. "We return the Pac-12's leading rusher in Paul Perkins as well as some other really good backs. We've got an experienced and pretty talented receiving core, though maybe not with the marquee name. So it's very unlike Brett's situation three years ago, where Brett had to step in and do a lot. Whoever has taken snaps from Jake [Brendel] can depend on those around him a little bit more than maybe Brett was able to do. So that gives me a little comfort."