Here come the UCLA Bruins.
Now one of three remaining undefeated teams in the nation at 7-0, UCLA has jumped three spots to No. 7 and received a first place vote in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll released Sunday. It's the Bruins' highest ranking since the 2014 preseason, their best start to a season and to conference play (5-0) since 2005.
What a turnaround.
Bob Chesney's remarkable debut season at the helm rolled on with another major Big Ten win, this time a 28-10 drubbing of Michigan State. The "Bruin Bullies" on defense lived up to their mantra once again, forcing three Spartans turnovers and getting to quarterbacks Leo Hannan and Kayd Coffman, picking off each passer and registering four sacks. Michigan State was held to just 47 rushing yards
and 109 passing yards as UCLA limited its opponent to fewer than 20 points for the fifth time this season.
Offensively, quarterback Ty Dieffenbach overcame a leg injury and finished the game with 198 passing yards and a touchdown. Anthony Woods led the three-headed rushing attack with 112 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
USC falls after loss to Wisconsin
Across town, things are looking much bleaker.
USC plummeted 10 spots to No. 25 after a disastrous 24-7 loss to Wisconsin, clinging onto any ranking at all as they received just 14 more votes than Oklahoma State. The latest in a long string of disappointments that have come to define the Lincoln Riley era five years in.
The Trojans managed just seven points – the lowest ever by a Riley-coached team – and was shut out in the second half. Jayden Maiava looked nothing like himself, throwing two interceptions for the first time in 2026, while the run game was completely stifled by the Badgers defense. It didn't help that Maiava was sacked five times for minus-57 yards, putting USC's rushing total at minus-17 net yards.
2026 has been a tale of two teams in LA. The ascendant Bruins and the spiraling Trojans. The two archrivals meet on Nov. 28 in the final game of the regular season, when UCLA could genuinely be making a final push for a College Football Playoff spot, while Riley could be fighting to keep his job.
Imagine hearing that sentence three months ago.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UCLA football climbs to No. 7 in Coaches Poll, USC tumbles after another loss
