The undefeated UCLA Bruins, led by first-year head coach Bob Chesney, are set to take on a Big Ten coaching legend when they host the Illinois Fighting Illini on Friday night. This is the Week 10 coaches' tale-of-the-tape.
Chesney is arguably one win away from punching UCLA's first-ever ticket into the College Football Playoff, and if he keeps winning, a home playoff game is the minimum guarantee his team will get, if not a straight-up first-round bye. The Bruins picked up their ninth win of the season last week during their trip to Minnesota, which was Chesney's 141st overall. His current record is 141-52, and he could be the first coach in college football history to lead two different programs to the playoff ever, doing so in consecutive seasons.
For Bret Bielema, this is his sixth season with Illinois, and he has secured his fourth bowl trip with his team's 24-13 win over Nebraska last week. The long-time Wisconsin head coach has a career record of 138-87, with a record of 42-29 with the Fighting Illini.
Bielema first became a head coach in 2006, winning his first conference title in 2010. That was the same year Chesney first became a head coach with Salve Regina. Both coaches will be squaring off on a short week, with Illinois coming out west for the Week 11 Friday night showdown.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Coaches Tale of the Tape: Bob Chesney and No. 4 UCLA hosts Illinois
