It has taken Bob Chesney less than one year to turn the UCLA Bruins into a top-five team in the country. UCLA took the No. 5 spot in both the Coaches Poll and in this week’s Associated Press Top-25 poll.
UCLA is the surprise team in the nation, unexpectedly being 8-0 in Chesney’s first year in Westwood. While it’s unclear what UCLA’s ceiling is this season with backup quarterback Ty Dieffenbach, UCLA has proven to have a very high floor under Chesney.
Bruin defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler has his unit playing exceptional football and UCLA has found enough success on offense to stack together the eight-straight victories but things are about to get tougher. UCLA got through the soft part of their schedule unscathed but road games against
Minnesota and Michigan and home bouts with Illinois and USC could put the undefeated season in jeopardy.
Miami (FL) owns the No. 1 spot in the nation, ahead of Georgia, Utah, Notre Dame and UCLA in the top-five. USC is back in the top-25 after their big win over Ohio State, climbing up to No. 18. The Trojans is the only ranked team left on UCLA’s schedule, with Minnesota having received votes but did not crack the Top-25.
Each week UCLA has climbed up the rankings, with Chesney and the team continuing to prove themselves by stacking win after win. With a strong end to the season, UCLA will find themselves with their first-ever College Football Playoff berth, with the regular season finale against USC potentially having a lot on the line for both programs.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA moves up to No. 5 in the Associated Press college football poll
