The UCLA Bruins have moved up again in this week’s Top 25 polls after beating Minnesota yesterday, 34-20. Miami’s loss to Notre Dame allowed the Bruins to move up to fourth in the AP Poll. The USA Today Coaches Poll saw UCLA leapfrog the idle Indiana Hoosiers to move up to fourth. UCLA is now the highest-ranked Big Ten team in both polls.
The Bruins’ nine wins have tied the school record for the best improvement from the previous season. The 1972 team coached by Pepper Rodgers also improved by six wins, winning eight games that year after winning just two in 1971. UCLA’s nine-game winning streak is now tied with the 1973 team for the fourth-best single season winning streak in school history. The 1997 Bruins won 10 games after losing their first two games. The 1998 Bruins also won ten in a row before losing to Miami and Wisconsin to end the season. The 1946 team also won 10 games in a row before losing the Rose Bowl to Illinois. No Bruin team has ever won more than ten games in a season.
After Miami’s loss, Georgia is the new #1 team in both polls and Utah is ranked second. Notre Dame moved up to third in both polls .
The Hurricans fell to fifth in the AP Poll and sixth in the Coaches Poll. Indiana stayed put at sixth in the AP Poll and fell to fifth in the Coaches Poll. Alabama and Texas each moved up one spot in both polls to seventh and eighth, respectively. Tennessee jumped up seven spots to ninth after beating Kentucky. Texas Tech moved up three spots in both polls to round out the Top Ten.
As far as other Big Ten schools go, Southern Cal moved up three spots in both polls and are now ranked 15th in the AP Poll and 14th in the Coaches Poll. Iowa jumped five spots to 16th in the AP Poll and the Hawkeyes jumped to 15th in the Coaches Poll. Oregon’s win over Ohio State resulted in the Ducks re-entering the AP Poll at 18th and the Coaches Poll at 19th while the Buckeyes dropped like a rock to 21st in the AP Poll and to 20th in the Coaches Poll.
Northwestern, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota all received votes in the Coaches Poll, but none of them received any in the AP Poll.
Here are both complete Top 25 polls:
UCLA’s next game will be this Friday, November 13 against the Illinois Fighting Illini at the Rose Bowl. Kickoff time is set for 6:00 pm PT and the game will be broadcast on Fox. Will you be there to watch this team tie the longest single-season winning streak in Bruin history?
Go Bruins!!!
[Editor’s Note: This article originally stated that UCLA’s current nine-game winning streak was the third-best single-season winning streak in school history. That was incorrrect. The current winning streak is tied with the 1973 team for the fourth-best single-season winning streak. The 1946, 1987 and 1988 teams all won ten games in a row.]
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I think it's funny that UCLA and USC are 2 of the top 3 teams in the Big 10, and maybe the top 2 if USC beats Indiana. if they both win out, or UCLA loses 1, they will be playing each other in the Big 10 Championship game. How sweet would that be.
I honestly don’t think they will get much love. Also, I get the impression that if UCLA losses a game, its leash is a lot shorter than the other teams in mix.