UCLA has never made a BCS appearance and has never reached the College Football Playoff, but the new 12-team setup gives the Bruins a real shot to change that story. In fact, the path could lead straight back to the Rose Bowl.
Right now, UCLA sits No. 7 in the AP Poll, and that number matters. A finish anywhere from No. 5 through No. 8 would put the Bruins in position to host a first-round game.
There’s also a more favorable lane if they keep winning and knock off No. 2 Ohio State or No.
4 Indiana in the Big Ten Championship.
That’s where the intrigue really starts. An early bye or home game would already be a win, but the bracket offers even more for UCLA.
One of the quarterfinal sites is the Rose Bowl, which means the Bruins could end up playing there with a spot in the semifinals on the line. From there, both semifinal venues are on the other side of the country.
If UCLA somehow reaches that stage, it would rank among the biggest accomplishments in program history.
All of it, though, depends on the final stretch of the regular season. UCLA can’t really afford a slip-up against Minnesota, Illinois, or Michigan. A loss to USC wouldn’t wipe everything out, even if it would sting, but the cleanest route is simple: 12-0.
Go undefeated in the regular season, and the Bruins are in the conference championship game. If they stumble in the Big Ten before that, they could be passed by two of Ohio State, Indiana, or surprise contender Northwestern. Minnesota and Wisconsin are technically still in the mix too, but only barely.
Even with that in mind, UCLA’s schedule sets up well enough that the Bruins should be in decent shape. And if they do run the table in the regular season but lose the Big Ten title game, they would still almost certainly land among the top eight seeds and host a CFP game at the Rose Bowl.
That would end a long wait. UCLA hasn’t played a postseason game at the Rose Bowl since 1999, when it fell 38-31 to the Badgers.
The Bruins also lost the Rose Bowl postseason game before that one. Their last postseason win there came in 1986 against Iowa.
For UCLA fans, the chance to see meaningful football at home has been a long time coming.
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UCLA's Hot Start Just Created A Bob Chesney Question Fans Feared
A 7-0 start and a No. 7 national ranking have turned UCLAs season into more than just a fast opening run, because success this immediate also brings a familiar headache for any program with an upward trajectory. Bob Chesney has given the Bruins exactly the kind of lift fans hoped for when he arrived last December, and the early results have only strengthened the sense that UCLA may have landed a coach who fits the job.
Chesney has also made clear he is invested in what he is building, praising the school and the opportunity in strong terms while the wins keep piling up. His contract already runs several more years, but when a team starts this hot, the conversation naturally shifts from whether a coach will stay to how a university keeps the relationship aligned if the momentum continues. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Rowe Jr. Is Giving UCLA's Offense A Needed Lift
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Against the Spartans, Rowe Jr. added another reminder of why he has become such a valuable target, and UCLA will keep leaning on that kind of production as it turns to Nevada. In the background of that preparation, coaches Dean Kennedy and Colin Hitschler were also talking about player development and how the Bruins are sharpening their defensive approach, but the offenses ability to keep finding answers has been just as important to the teams momentum. [Read more 🡒]
UCLAs Rotation Battle Just Got More Interesting Before Opening Night
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For a team trying to sort out roles before opening night, those kinds of nights matter just as much as the final score. The Bruins got enough from Perry, Jovic and Philon to keep the offense moving and the defense active, but the larger question is how that production translates once the games count and the coaching staff has to narrow the rotation for real. [Read more 🡒]