UCLA Fitting in the Big Ten Just Fine

When it was announced that UCLA was leaving the Pac-12 and moving to the Big Ten, there was a lot of confusion amongst fans in college sports.

How will the teams fare with the long distances? Can they compete with the elite programs on a consistent basis like Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana, and Penn State?

When the Bruins’ football program started Big Ten play, there was a lot of concern amongst fans and analysts that this was perhaps a disaster in the making. They won the opening game against Hawaii, which was expected of them, but then they were faced with the Big Ten gauntlet, along with an SEC game sprinkled in.

Immediately, UCLA got pummelled by Indiana, fell at LSU the following week, and suffered at the hands of Oregon and Penn State. Three teams who made the College Football Playoffs and a perennial SEC juggernaut.

However afterwards, the Bruins rebounded, and proved that distance is just a number. They flew all the way over to Piscataway and overtook Rutgers, and right after came away with a win against Dylan Raiola and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Looking back, the Bruins were clearly in an impossible situation. They had a new coach, a new system, and had to kick their season off against four of the best teams in college football. 

Of course they were going to get dropped.

But what was encouraging was how they picked back up from the adversity, piling up four wins in their final six games is a sign of things to come in 2025-26.

Not only that, coach DeShaun Foster has put on a masterclass on the recruiting trail.

Just recently, he nabbed two high school teammates who are exceptional on the defensive line in Marcus Almada and Carter Gooden for the class of 2026. On top of that they built their program from the trenches out, receiving commits from Micah Smith and Johnnie Jones.

But the most important one was quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

Perhaps Iamaleava fell onto UCLA’s laps given the NIL battle he went through with Tennessee, but it did serve a major purpose given that Iamaleava is a Southern California kid.

But in the Big Ten, you either adapt with the competition, or you accept mediocrity. The Bruins opted for the former.

For the most part, UCLA’s receiver corps is unproven, but with immense talent that Iamaleava’s presence can unlock.

Take Kwazi Gilmer for example.

The former four-star recruit performed well in his freshman year last season, and now as a veteran, it’s imperative that he builds a connection with Iamaleava.

Once UCLA gets that one-two punch through the air, then we can start talking dominance. Until then, only potential can get you so far in a discourse.

Transitioning over to the Big Ten was always going to bring along growing pains for UCLA. But for the time being, it seems like adapting to the competition hasn’t been too much of an issue.