New coach Bob Chesney has already transformed No. 12 from Big Ten doormat to the fastest riser in the Power Four, and the Bruins aren’t done yet.
Now 6-0 after beating Oregon, UCLA is seen as a heavy College Football Playoff thanks to this year’s growth and a relatively easy finish to the regular season. To go from nine losses in 2025 to the playoff one year would be a turnaround mirrored in recent history only by Indiana’s star turn under coach Curt Cignetti – formerly of James Madison, just like Chesney.
There’s no doubt the Bruins are the biggest success story of the first half of the regular season. Just behind UCLA are Power Four teams such as No. 13 Missouri and Group of Six contenders such as New Mexico and Oregon State.
As we turn the corner
to the second half, let’s break down the biggest surprise teams to date:
No. 12 UCLA (5-0)
Here’s how the Bruins close: Wisconsin, Michigan State, Nevada, Minnesota (away), Illinois, Michigan (away) and No. 15 Southern California. That schedule gives them a real shot at double-digit wins and a playoff berth. But UCLA will need to manage without quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who is expected to miss the rest of the year with a knee injury. Cal Poly transfer Ty Dieffenbach is slated to start this weekend against the Badgers.
No. 13 Missouri (5-1)
Missouri took a big step forward in the SEC with a win against Florida, snapping a nine-game losing streak against top-10 competition. The Tigers didn’t suffer any letdown against miserable Texas A&M and are in position for a playoff run, though there are more rough matchups to come against No. 10 Mississippi, No. 6 Texas, No. 1 Georgia and No. 17 Kentucky.
No. 17 Kentucky (5-1)
The Wildcats have been revelation under new coach Will Stein, already matching last year’s win total thanks to an upset in overtime of No. 21 LSU and moving into position to win eight or nine games during the regular season. While the playoff feels like a pipe dream, Kentucky has already in-season strides and could be even better in the second half thanks to players such as Notre Dame quarterback transfer Kenny Minchey.
No. 19 Mississippi State (4-1)
We’ll see if the Bulldogs can keep this up; a blowout loss to No. 7 Alabama took some wind out of what had been a terrific start. There’s still Kamario Taylor and a pretty talented supporting cast of skill talent, which gives MSU a puncher’s chance in the shootout games that have come to dominate the SEC. But the defense is an issue that could derail things in the second half.
No. 23 Wake Forest (5-1)
Wake Forest made a pitch-perfect hire in second-year coach Jake Dickert, who won nine games in his debut and could lead the Demon Deacons to the ACC championship game by taking care of business against Virginia, No. 22 SMU and Duke. To the credit of the coaching staff, Wake has rebuilt North Carolina transfer quarterback Gio Lopez into an all-conference contender after his miserable 2025 season.
Nebraska (5-1) and Wisconsin (4-1)
Two proud programs in the midst of extended droughts – one much longer than the other, to be fair – are coming out of the wilderness and climbing the Big Ten ladder. Nebraska’s start has largely been discounted because of a weak schedule before last weekend’s 20-17 loss to No. 4 Indiana, but this is the sturdiest team of the Matt Rhule era. The Badgers have won four in a row to increase Luke Fickell’s job security. Things could quickly turn, though, with UCLA, Southern California and No. 16 Iowa up next.
Memphis (5-1) and Florida Atlantic (4-1)
Memphis has stayed hot under new coach Charles Huff. The Tigers also miss Texas-San Antonio, North Texas and Florida Atlantic, raising the chances of nine or more wins in the regular season and a shot at the American crown. FAU is off to its best start since 2020 and went 3-1 in non-conference play for the first time in program history. The Owls’ offense is gathering steam under coach Zach Kittley, who will be a trendy candidate for upper-level Group of Six and second-tier Power Four openings this winter.
New Mexico (4-1)
Another coach who might not be long for the Group of Six is the Lobos’ Jason Eck, who pulled off one of the top Championship Subdivision rebuilding jobs of the decade at Idaho before going 13-5 in his year-plus in Albuquerque. New Mexico has steamrolled four overmatched teams lost a 14-6 rock fight to Oklahoma to move into the driver’s seat for the Mountain West championship.
Oregon State (4-2)
The offense has been terrific under new coach Jamarcus Shephard. His time learning the ropes under Jeff Brohm and Kalen DeBoer has yielded a scheme that ranks fifth nationally in yards per game (522.3), eighth in yards per play (7.3) and 10th in scoring (41.8 points per game). Shephard also unearthed one of the biggest recruiting coups of this past cycle in three-star receiver Jason Legree, the national leader in receiving yards (932) and touchdowns (12).
James Madison (6-0)
JMU has not missed a beat under its third coach in four years. After Cignetti and Chesney, it handed the keys to former Louisiana-Lafayette coach and Florida coach Billy Napier, who has pushed the right buttons in his return to the Sun Belt. The Dukes have played close games against Liberty and Georgia Southern but are still the class of the Sun Belt and a threat to return to the playoff.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UCLA, Missouri lead college football's 10 biggest surprise teams from first half
