Week 5 of college football was yet another brutal result for the UCLA Bruins (0-4, 0-1 Big Ten), and it's about to get a lot darker as a 0-12 finish is more likely for the Bruins now than before their 17-14 loss to Northwestern.
Just as we do every week, let's take a look at how UCLA's remaining opponents did in their Week 5 contests.
The Nittany Lions were outmatched against their first ranked opponent, dropping 30-24 in overtime to the No. 6-ranked Oregon Ducks. The loss pushed Penn State down from No. 3 in the nation to No. 7. Nonetheless, the Bruins will still have their hands full in the Rose Bowl.
Michigan State had a bye in Week 4. The week prior, the Spartans were handled by No. 25-ranked USC, 45-31. The Bruins go on the road in East Lansing to take on MSU at 9 a.m. PT, yet another traveling obstacle UCLA has to tackle.
The Terrapins had a bye this week, but were one of the biggest stories of last weekend, opening up conference play with a dominant 27-10 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers. The Terrapins entered the season below the Bruins in many Big Ten power rankings, but an undefeated nonconference slate followed up by last week's win marks yet another projected UCLA loss in Week 8.
The Indiana Hoosiers keep rising as one of the nation's best teams, narrowly defeating Iowa and rising from No. 11 to No. 8 in the country. The Bruins now have three remaining opponents in the top 10 of AP's updated Top 25 college football polls.
Nebraska had a bye this week but is coming off a loss to Michigan, who was ranked 21st going into the game. The Cornhuskers take on the Bruins later in the season, but they take on Michigan State this week.
The top team in the nation remains undefeated after Ohio State took down Washington, 24-6, to open up its Big Ten conference play. The Bukeyes are showing no sign of slowing down, matching up against Minnesota this week before taking on No. 22 Illinois afterwards.
The Huskies opened up conference play against No. 1-ranked Ohio State and were bested 24-6. It's a bit of a reach, but Washington is one of UCLA's easiest remaining opponents, but is still given an 86.5% chance to defeat the Bruins when they match up in Week 13.
A potential bright side of Week 5 for UCLA? The Trojans lost and were kicked out of the Top 25. In a No. 21 vs. No. 23 matchup against Illinois, USC lost 34-32 on a game-winning field goal. Surely, the Trojans will recover from this loss and may even be ranked again at the end of the season when they clash with the Bruins.
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