UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins
NCAAF – PAC – 12
UCLA Bruins
2022-2023 TEAM LEADERS
UCLA Bruins
Team News and History
UCLA is known primarily as a college basketball school, but they have had some success in football as well. The program began in 1920 but have had many ups and downs throughout their history.
The Bruins have appeared in 36 different bowl games and have posted a 16-19-1 (.458 winning percentage) in those games. They have had six Pro Football Hall of Famers come through Englewood as well and call the Rose Bowl their home.
UCLA Bruins Standings
The UCLA Bruins have a long history of success on the football field, and they continue to be a dominant force in the NCAAF stats and standings. With a high-powered offense, a stout defense, and a talented roster, the Bruins are always a tough opponent. They have a winning record and a reputation for putting on exciting, high-scoring games, making them a must-watch for fans of the sport.
UCLA Bruins Betting Trends
Recent History
Looking back at the last handful of seasons, the Bruins have shown the ability to improve on the fly. In 2018, the UCLA Bruins finished with a 3-9 record while being 3-6 in the Pac-12.
They improved their record a little bit in 2019 as they were 4-8 with a 4-5 conference record as well. 2020 was a weird season as they forced to have a condensed schedule and only play games within the Pac-12 Conference. However, they seemed to continue to build as they went 3-4 on that season.
In 2021, the Bruins are 4-2 with a 2-1 conference record as of this writing.
The program seems to be building a competitive roster with a bunch of head coach Chip Kelly’s recruits understanding their roles, so they will remain competitive in the Pac-12 and have a chance to be a force inside of the Pac-12 Conference this season and towards the future.
Key Players in History
The program has seen a bunch of players make the jump from the collegiate game to the National Football League, but there were a few that are worth highlighting in this section.
Quarterback Gary Beban is the only Bruin to win the Heisman Trophy as he picked up the honors for his 1967 season, narrowly defeating USC Trojans running back O.J. Simpson in the voting. Another solid quarterback came through the program as Troy Aikman played with the Bruins in his collegiate career as he played two seasons with UCLA and finished with 41 touchdowns to 17 interceptions and a 151.9 rating.
He ended up collecting the Davey O’Brien Award for his 1988 season. The more recent success is on the defensive side with linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks as they won the Lott Award in back-to-back seasons, while Kendricks also snagged the Butkus Award in 2014.
Key Championships
The Bruins have not won many championships in their football program’s existence, but they have won a National Championship back in 1954 as they finished with a perfect 9-0 record with a 6-0 conference record during the championship season.
They have won 17 conference championships scattered throughout their history as they won the conference title in 1935, 1942, 1946, and 1953-55 as members of the Pacific Coast Conference.
When they were a part of the Athletic Association of Western Universities in 1959, 1961, and 1965, they won the Pacific-8 Conference Championship one season back in 1975, and they had their most success in the Pacific-10 Conference.
They won the conference championship in the years 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1993, 1997, and 1998 but have failed to win the conference championship since then.
As members of the Pac-12 South division, they have competed in the Conference Championship Game in 2011 and 2012 but lost both games.
Conference Outlook
The Pac-12 is in for some interesting and compelling scheduling in their future as they have decided to form an alliance with the ACC and Big Ten Conferences to get some interesting matchups and rival what the SEC has been doing.
It is one of the powerhouse conferences in collegiate sports and has a pair of programs ranked in the AP Poll (Oregon Ducks and Arizona State Sun Devils).
UCLA has been competitive throughout their years, and with the recent news of a merger of three of the five powerhouse conferences, there is definitely a possibility of realignments throughout the conferences, especially in terms for NCAA Division I Football.
Many people on the East Coast push it off as the games begin later, but the conference is one of the most skilled in the nation with raw talent.
Coaching History
When you have a program for over 100 years, there are going to be some changes throughout their coaching staff. It all began with Fred Cozens in 1919, who finished going 2-6. Both Harry Trotter and James J. Cline failed to go .500, but William H Spaulding had success as the Bruins head coach from 1925-1938 with a 72-51-8.
Their most successful head coach has been Terry Donahue, who coached UCLA Football from 1976-1995 and had a 151-74-8 record in that span. As of this writing, they are currently being coached by Chip Kelly, who has been there since 2018 and has posted a 14-23 record.
Bruins recent trend
Next Game
Injuries
Team Stats
UCLA Bruins FAQ’s
Who is UCLA’s biggest football rival?
The answer is simple, the USC Trojans. These programs first faced off back in 1929, and the Bruins have an all-time record of 33-47-7 in their 87 matchups.
Has UCLA ever been the top-ranked team?
Yes, they have. They were the top-ranked team in the nation in the first two weeks of November 1954, the 1955 preseason poll, Week 2 of the 1955 season, and Week 10 of the 1967 season. Overall, they have been ranked inside of the top-25 programs 536 weeks.
The Bruins have retired a total of 10 numbers throughout the program’s existence. Kenny Easley (5), Troy Aikman (8), Kenny Washington (13), Gary Beban (16), Paul Cameron (34), Burr Baldwin (38), Jackie Robinson (42), Jonathan Ogden (79), Donn Moomaw (80), and Jerry Robinson (84).
Have any UCLA Bruins football players ever made the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Yes, the UCLA Bruins program has produced six players that were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Those players are Bob Waterfield (1965), Tom Fears (1970), Jimmy Johnson (1994), Troy Aikman (2006), Jonathan Ogden (2013), and Kenny Easley (2017).
Who has UCLA beaten the most times?
UCLA has played in many games, but they hold a 56-34-1 record (.621 winning percentage) over the California Bears. They began playing against one another in 1933, and that has been the Bruins’ best opposition to bolster their record.
