If No. 5 UCLA felt disrespected by the first College Football Playoff rankings, the Bruins made their response loud and clear.
Slotted at No. 8 by the selection committee, UCLA delivered arguably its most impressive performance in weeks, going into Minnesota and eventually breaking open the Golden Gophers' defense for a 34-20 win to remain perfect.
UCLA is now 9-0 for the first time since 1998.
For much of the day, though, the Bruins followed the same script that has fueled doubts about just how good they are: playing close against an unranked opponent while self-inflicted mistakes kept the door open. The game was tied at halftime, and Minnesota opened the fourth quarter
with a touchdown to make it 17-all.
But just as it has in those other close games, UCLA did what it has done all season: owned the final 15 minutes.
On the Bruins' first offensive play after Minnesota tied the score, quarterback Ty Dieffenbach launched a pass to a wide-open Aiden Mizell for a 75-yard touchdown. Minnesota answered with a field goal, and on UCLA's next play, it was déjà vu: Dieffenbach found Mizell again for another 75-yard touchdown.
Minnesota was stunned. An interception on the ensuing drive all but sealed the Golden Gophers' fate, as UCLA handed P.J. Fleck's team its first Big Ten home loss since 2024.
Through nine games, UCLA still hasn't trailed in the fourth quarter.
Believe UCLA now?
There’s no denying it now: UCLA is a bona fide College Football Playoff contender.
You couldn’t argue with the defense. The “Bruin Bullies” are one of the most ruthless and opportunistic units in the country, suffocating offenses all season.
So everyone pointed to the offense, specifically Ty Dieffenbach. He’s not Nico Iamaleava, and there was little reason to believe a backup quarterback could lead UCLA to heights it hasn’t reached in decades. Yeah, he’d been solid. But spectacular?
How about 303 yards and three touchdowns on just eight completions?
Even when he made mistakes, Dieffenbach was electric, showing off an arm that, if you didn’t see who threw the ball, might have made you think Iamaleava was still back there.
What made it even more impressive was the defense he did it against. Minnesota entered the game allowing just 178.9 passing yards per game, 24th in the FBS. You know, the same defense that just made Indiana’s offense look like a Group of Six team?
The Golden Gophers hadn’t allowed a quarterback to throw for 300 yards all season.
Some guy who began the season as UCLA’s third-string quarterback just did it.
Frankly, there’s no reason to doubt the Bruins anymore. With Dieffenbach emerging at quarterback and Wayne Knight leading a dangerous running back room, UCLA has all the makings of a playoff-caliber team. The Bruins walked into a potential trap game and delivered their best performance since September.
The road looks clearer than ever for UCLA. Now the question is whether the selection committee responds accordingly.
There were plenty of roars from Los Angeles after the Bruins were ranked behind two-loss Alabama and Texas and were the committee’s lowest-ranked undefeated team.
“This team should definitely move up,” Fox analyst Joel Klatt said. “They deserve to be much higher.”
There’s no denying it anymore.
UCLA is here. It’s unbeaten. And it’s done asking for anyone’s respect.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CFP disrespected UCLA. Bruins just gave committee a reason to regret it
