This article was written by Gus Wilson and published on Sport & State, a new media company founded by Clay Travis that is built around sports, culture, original voices, and live conversation.
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The undefeated UCLA Bruins may be emerging as a potential College Football Playoff team after a top-15 road win over the Oregon Ducks.
No. 21 UCLA went into Eugene to knock off No. 13 Oregon 17-15 in a defensive battle between the former Pac-12 rivals, who now share the Big Ten.
After taking a 17-6 lead in the fourth quarter, the Bruins were able to hold off the Ducks’ comeback by forcing SEVEN turnovers and getting another strong performance on the ground from running back Wayne Knight.
UCLA is up 17-6 on the road at Oregon 👀 https://t.co/ajmR3RhnEH
— Sport & State (@SportNState) October 10, 2026
Knight finished with 103 rushing yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, while also catching what proved to be UCLA’s game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The undefeated start and upset win are the latest signs of the immediate turnaround under new head coach Bob Chesney.
It’s just different here. 💯
@CoachBobChesney https://t.co/i7m6ilrzKP
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) October 10, 2026
So far, he has already surpassed last season’s 3-9 record in dominant fashion. The Bruins had the sixth-best offense going into Saturday and the fourth-most rushing yards per game.
Before his time in Pasadena, Chesney coached James Madison University to a 21-6 record over two years and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2025, where they fell against Oregon.
Sweet, sweet revenge.
The continued success at UCLA from JMU helps Chesney draw comparisons to former Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti, who has recently turned the Hoosiers from the losingest program in the history of college football to national champions just last year.
Cignetti was the head coach of JMU from 2019 through 2023.
In Cignetti’s first year with Indiana, he led them to the College Football Playoff. Chesney’s current trajectory looks to be the same.
When the next AP Poll is released, the Bruins should make a significant jump from No. 21 after beating a top-15 opponent on the road.
The remaining schedule also gives UCLA a legitimate path to stay in the playoff conversation deep into November.
The Bruins’ next five games come against Wisconsin, Michigan State, Nevada, Minnesotaand Illinois before the difficulty ramps back up. They then will travel to Ann Arbor to take on the Michigan Wolverines and face their rivals in the USC Trojans in back-to-back weeks to end the regular season.
It will also depend on the health of quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who left early in the win Saturday with a lower body injury while taking a cheap shot on the way out.
Bear Alexander just twisted Nico Iamaleava face and punched him lmao wtf https://t.co/EncadN6bMR
— John (@iam_johnw) October 10, 2026
Still unbeaten and now armed with a signature road victory, Chesney and the Bruins have officially entered the College Football Playoff conversation.
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