
The UCLA Bruins (3-6, 3-3 Big Ten) through nine games this season have played some of the best quarterbacks in the nation, liken Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Utah's Devon Dampier, but Saturday's clash against No. 1 Ohio State lines them up against maybe the sport's best.
ESPN's Bill Connelly re-ranked every Power Four quarterback in college football, and the football and analytical wizard deemed Buckeyes signal-caller Julian Sayin as the best at the position, ranking him No. 1.
The Bruins take on Sayin and first-ranked Ohio State on the road this Saturday, just a few weeks after taking on Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, who sits at No. 3 on Connelly's rankings.
Sayin shot up from No. 11 on the last iteration of these rankings and has a season QBR of 91.1. He's thrown for 2,491 yards, rushed for 56 non-sack yards and has 24 total touchdowns. Needless to say, UCLA will have its hands full in Columbus this week.
The outright No. 1 team in the country continued on its dominant path by going on the road and handling Purdue, 34-10. Julian Sayin further bolstered his Heisman bid by throwing for 303 yards and a touchdown. Sayin's only touchdown was to Jeremiah Smith, who finished with 10 catches for 137 yards.
Ohio State plays host to UCLA in Columbus this week, and UCLA's chances of pulling off an upset similar to the one it had against No. 7 Penn State are about as slim as its chances at making a bowl game -- not good.
ESPN Analytics gives the Bruins a 1.7% chance as beating the Buckeyes. Much like the entirety of the season, the odds are heavily against UCLA.
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