The narrative has changed drastically in Westwood, California for the UCLA Bruins. Suddenly there’s renewed enthusiasm near the San Gabriel Mountains amid UCLA’s unbeaten start under coach Bob Chesney. Now they’re handed a big prediction; coming amid Indiana’s loss and Ohio State’s setback.
What isn’t new is UCLA garnering pre-College Football Playoffs praise. But what’s brand new is UCLA’s newest CFP projection that’ll turn heads.
UCLA Handed Higher Seed
Lindy’s Sports analyst Cole Shelton now believes UCLA will claim one of the top four spots of the 12-team tournament.
This time as the Big Ten champ and No. 4 seed.
Shelton has the Bruins now catapulting everyone in the conference to swoop up one of the first round byes. That includes bypassing the Buckeyes, who grab the No. 5 seed and the Hoosiers who land at No. 8.
Once again, these predictions come amid the following: OSU quarterback Julian Sayin being ruled out indefinitely, plus the Buckeyes ending IU’s 22-game winning streak.
Reason Behind New UCLA Prediction
Shelton broke down why the road is becoming set up for UCLA to surpass everyone in the Big Ten.
“UCLA has an easy schedule, as there is a legit chance they go to the Big Ten championship game against a beat-up Ohio State team that survived without Sayin,” Shelton wrote.
The Bruins already proved they can topple nationally-ranked teams under Chesney, as UCLA stunned then-No. 13 Oregon. UCLA won’t see another ranked foe until the Nov. 28 showdown against rival and No. 16 ranked USC. And that game takes place inside the Rose Bowl, handing UCLA the home field advantage there.
So Chesney’s first season in Westwood already looks smooth sailing.
Comparing UCLA’s Road to CFP With Other Big Ten Powers
OSU faced more ranked foes in the latter half of its season following the bye week. One is the Halloween showdown at USC following the Buckeyes’ Oct. 24 bye week. The other is a late season Nov. 14 showdown against No. 24 Northwestern, which is in Columbus.
Indiana also faces USC but on Nov. 14 in Bloomington. And IU, like the Bruins, only faces the Trojans as its last remaining ranked foe.
There’s one more Big Ten contender to think of too: No. 15 Iowa. Granted, the Hawkeyes already lost to Ohio State this season and owns no victories over ranked teams. But a road win on Nov. 7 against Northwestern can certainly ignite conversations there.
Still though, UCLA plays four of its final six games at home which sparks the CFP narrative for the Bruins. The school earned the reputation of becoming the new “Indiana” by various coaches and analysts. Now the Bruins are very much looking like the new heavy favorite to win the conference and swoop up one of the top four spots.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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