UCLA's Best Chances for Wins Next Season

In his first season as the UCLA football head coach, Bob Chesney will have one of the toughest schedules in Big Ten play.

The Bruins face one of the nation’s best in Oregon, a championship favorite, along with playoff hopefuls USC and Michigan. They also have tough matchups against Big Ten contenders Illinois and Minnesota.

While their schedule sounds tough, there are three games next season that would be considered “easy”. If the Bruins are going to have a much-improved season from last year, they are going to need to win these three games.

Week Three vs Purdue

Purdue has been one of the worst teams in the Big Ten for the past few seasons. In his first season as the Boilermakers' head coach, Barry Odom struggled, as the Boilermakers went winless in conference play for the second straight season, finishing 0-9. Statistically, the Boilermakers were the worst team in the Big Ten. However, they were still near the bottom of the Big Ten.

Purdue has an over/under win total of 2.5 and is projected to rank near the bottom of the Big Ten next season. This will be UCLA's first Big Ten game under Bob Chensey, and they will want to show the rest of the conference that they mean business and should be taken seriously.

Week Four at Maryland

Maryland was another team that struggled to win many games, finishing 1-8 in the Big Ten, tied for second-to-last with Michigan State, and 4-8 overall. The Terrapins are entering their eighth season under Mike Locksley, who is in a pivotal year as they try to make a bowl game.

Sadly for them, that is not projected to be the case. While they have a star sophomore QB, Malik Washington, the weapons around him don't seem enough to get the Terrapins back to a bowl game.

Now, what could be challenging for the Bruins is that they will travel across the country to play the Terrapins, but it shouldn't be a difficult game, as they weren't great on defense, allowing over 400 yards per game last season.

Week Eight vs Michigan State

Michigan State has also gone through a coaching change this season, hiring former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald. This upcoming year, Michigan State might be picked as the worst team in the Big Ten next season.

I will keep this short and sweet: Michigan State has a lot of unproven pieces on both offense and defense, and even at the head coach position. Fitzgerald has been out of coaching since 2023, and during the NIL era, he did not have a positive record. Now they will travel to Westwood with an unproven head coach and roster.

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