UCLA Bruins

UCLA is 6-0 for the first time since 2022 and the only remaining undefeated team in the Big Ten or SEC. First-year head coach Bob Chesney has won his first six games, the best start by a UCLA coach in program history. The Bruins have covered the spread in five of six games and are 4-0 in Big Ten play. This comes after a 2025 season in which UCLA won just three games, marking a dramatic turnaround.

UCLA's identity is a downhill rushing attack led by James Madison transfer Wayne Knight, who has scored a rushing touchdown in all six games and had three touchdowns in each of the first two games. The Bruins opened the year with back-to-back 200-yard rushing performances for the first time since 2023, including 277 yards and six rushing touchdowns at California. Defensively, the secondary has been the engine, intercepting 10 passes (most in the nation) and forcing key turnovers. Ta'Shawn James had two interceptions in the fourth quarter against Cal, and the Bruins took seven turnovers off Oregon in Eugene.

Starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava suffered a lower leg injury late in the first half at Oregon and did not return, and he missed the Wisconsin game. Backup Ty Dieffenbach, a transfer from Pitt via Cal Poly, stepped in and led UCLA to a 17-15 win over Oregon with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Knight, then started against Wisconsin and went 22 of 33 for 264 yards. Iamaleava had thrown for 184 yards and run for a score in the opener and added 57 rushing yards against San Diego State. His health is the biggest unknown for the second half of the season.

UCLA has developed a pattern of slow starts, going scoreless in the first half against San Diego State and allowing Cal to tie the game in the third quarter before pulling away. The rebuilt defensive line, made up almost entirely of transfers (Sahir West, Aiden Gobaira, Darold DeNgohe, Tyson Ford, Maxwell Roy), has only six games of shared experience and remains the soft spot. Wisconsin ran for 71 yards by its quarterback Colton Joseph and scored in the third quarter, showing the line can be moved. Against better opponents, these issues could prove costly.

UCLA's remaining schedule before a season-ending matchup with USC includes Michigan State, Nevada, Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan. The Bruins are 6-0 and have already beaten Oregon on the road, a top-15 team. With a healthy Iamaleava, UCLA has the talent to contend for a Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff spot. However, the margin for error is thin, as the last two wins came by a combined 12 points. The Bruins must clean up their slow starts and protect the quarterback to keep their undefeated season alive.