Even though this would come as a shock to Bruins’ fans just a month ago, an 0-12 season is certainly possible for the UCLA Bruins this season after UCLA lost to Northwestern on Saturday in a game that felt less close than the final score would indicate.
Going into the season, UCLA’s easiest opponents were at the beginning of their season and the Bruins have squandered their opportunities and will be 0-4 when they host the Penn State Nittany Lions next week. Let’s rank UCLA’s final eight opponents in order of which games UCLA has the best chance of securing a win against.
8. At Ohio State, November 15
The defending national champions would be tough matchup for anyone, especially for the Bruins who can’t get out of their own way. This would be one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport.
7. At Indiana, October 25
Indiana is 2-0 in the Big Ten Conference and 5-0 overall. It will be a revenge game for Bruins’ offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri but the UCLA offense has lacked the power to pose as any threat to the Hoosiers.
6. Home versus Penn State, October 4
Penn State will be coming off of a big game against Oregon and it’s easy to see why they might look past the game against UCLA but the talent discrepancy is way too large for the Bruins to compete. Penn State could play a poor game and still blowout the Bruins.
5. At USC, November 29
Anything can happen in a rivalry game but USC will be smelling blood in the water when the Bruins come to the LA Coliseum in the regular season finale. USC will love to give the Bruins one final embarrassment to cap off the season.
4. Home versus Washington, November 22
Washington will look to give the Bruins another disheartening loss at the Rose Bowl. While Washington lost to Ohio State this week, they kept things competitive. Things will be less competitive when they take on their former Pac-12 rival.
3. At Michigan State, October 11
USC proved this week that the 9:00am starts can be very tough for West Coast teams and while UCLA will have to battle with the early start time, the Spartans are perhaps the most beatable team left on the Bruins’ schedule.
2. Home versus Maryland, October 18
The Maryland Terrapins have exceeded expectations this season, as they remain undefeated. Even though Maryland doesn’t have the elite talent like many other Big Ten teams, they have proven capable of stacking wins. They’ll stack another against the Bruins.
1. Home versus Nebraska, November 8
Nebraska narrowly lost to Michigan last week, which makes it seem like a Bruins’ upset is unlikely, but it may be UCLA’s best chance at a win this season. UCLA’s wins this season should have come against Northwestern and the Mountain West Conference teams, now they’re staring at a potential 0-12 embarrassment.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Ranking UCLA’s chances to get a win against final eight opponents this season
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
