UCLA’s Halloween date with Nevada now has a kickoff time.
The Bruins will host the Wolf Pack on Friday, Oct. 31 at 1:15 p.m. PT at the Rose Bowl, the Big Ten announced Monday. The game will be shown on the Big Ten Network.
UCLA enters that matchup at 6-0 and ranked No. 9 in the latest AP poll after knocking off Wisconsin, 17-7, in Pasadena last week. Nevada comes in at 2-4.
The Bruins have another home game before then, welcoming Michigan State on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 12:30 p.m. PT on CBS. Nevada will also have a game of its own first, facing San Jose State before making the trip to Pasadena.
With two more games ahead before Nevada arrives, UCLA is still very much in the mix for a College Football Playoff push. After Michigan State and Nevada, the Bruins will head to Minnesota, host Illinois, travel to Michigan and close the regular season at home against USC. The Trojans, ranked No. 16 in the AP poll, are the only ranked team left on UCLA’s schedule.
For now, the Bruins stand alone in one other way, too: they are the only undefeated team remaining from the Big Ten or SEC. They’re also tied with Ohio State atop the conference standings at 4-0.
After the win over Wisconsin, head coach Bob Chesney made clear the program isn’t putting a ceiling on itself.
"We've never put limits on what we could or could not do," UCLA head coach Bob Chesney said after the Bruins' win over Wisconsin. "And we also didn't make excuses.
If we just wanted to get bowl eligible, that's pre-ordaining an excuse, and I never wanted to define anything and instead just go out there and play and be better today than we did yesterday. Our guys understand that.
They're trying to move this program from good to great."
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UCLA enters the season with some immediate credibility, landing at No. 22 in the preseason AP poll after a roster reset that still feels familiar in key places. Trent Perry, Eric Dailey and Xavier Booker are back, giving the Bruins a returning core, while the addition of transfers Jaylen Petty, Filip Jovic and Sergej Macura adds needed depth as they settle into their first year in the Big Ten spotlight.
The first real test arrives quickly, with No. 5 Arizona waiting on Nov. 2 in the regular-season opener. UCLA has already had a secret scrimmage, and Petty and Jovic reportedly made a strong impression in that setting, which only adds to the intrigue around how ready this group might be when the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA's 6-0 Start Has Three Bruins Changing The Season Outlook
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Defensively, Jalen Woods was right in the middle of it, helping set the tone for a unit that kept Wisconsin from settling in. The combination of a more settled passing attack, a trustworthy receiving option and Woods presence on defense is changing how this team is being viewed, and UCLA now has the kind of balance that can carry a season much further than early optimism usually does. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Stayed Perfect But One Concern Just Got Harder To Ignore
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The discipline piece was just as notable. UCLA was flagged eight times for 78 yards, the kind of self-inflicted damage that can quietly chip away at momentum as the schedule tightens. With Jayden Maiava waiting on the remaining slate and offering a similar rushing challenge, the Bruins may need a cleaner answer soon if they want to keep the same margin for error. [Read more 🡒]