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UCLA coach Bob Chesney backs quarterback Nico Iamaleava in latest preseason projection originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
When UCLA tapped coach Bob Chesney to lead its football program back to relevance as a fixture in the Big Ten, it was a massive roll of the dice on a proven winner from the lower levels. The Bruins have been defined by inconsistency and late-game collapses in recent years. Chesney’s mandate was simple: bring structure, physicality, and stability to Westwood.
According to the latest 2026 game picks and win-loss predictions from CBS Sports analyst Brad Crawford, Chesney is already delivering on that promise for the Bruins.
The model projects UCLA to finish the regular season with a 7-5 record. In the brutal landscape of the 18-team Big Ten, securing a winning record and a bowl berth in Year 1 of a massive coaching transition is a definitive success.
"Under first-year coach Bob Chesney, the Bruins are already trending toward more structure and physicality on both sides of the ball," Crawford wrote. "Chesney's program-building approach should stabilize a team that's often been volatile in recent seasons."
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A manageable schedule certainly helps the transition. The Bruins are projected to secure wins against San Diego State and Nevada outside of conference play. Within the Big Ten, Crawford expects UCLA to find its footing and secure victories over Purdue, Maryland, Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Illinois.
Crawford notes that UCLA "has enough offensive pieces to win a couple of the 50-50 matchups," which is crucial for a program trying to establish a new identity.
The projections aren't without their bumps. The model predicts the Bruins will suffer an early non-conference loss to California, followed by grueling Big Ten defeats to Oregon, Minnesota, Michigan, and rival USC.
However, Crawford believes the key to the season lies in the development of highly touted quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
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"If quarterback Nico Iamaleava settles in with this new scheme, seven wins becomes a reasonable midpoint outcome for Year 1," Crawford noted.
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