QB Nico Iamaleava Slides Down in Latest Rankings

The Bruins' signal-caller may have had a down week, but he's still leading UCLA through an impressive turnaround.

UCLA's Nico Iamaleava throws a pass against Michigan State during the third quarter on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (3-4, 3-1 Big Ten) have turned into one of the darling stories of college football, and Nico Iamaleava has managed to flip the script on how he's perceived on a national scale throughout their three-game win streak.

Despite having a down week in their 20-17 win against Maryland, the criticism surrounding the redshirt sophomore going into the season has dwindled since his masterclass against Penn State.

UCLA's Nico Iamaleava warms up before the football game against Michigan State on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

However, his down week stuck with college football analysts. CBS Sports' David Cobb updated the network's weekly quarterback power rankings, and Iamaleava dropped from No. 37 to No. 45.

He sits just above Louisville's Miller Moss and just behind Missouri's Beau Pribula. No. 2 on Cobb's list is Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana quarterback that Iamaleava and the Bruins are going to match up against on Saturday.

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Iamaleava's Week 8 Grade

Bruins interim head coach Tim Skipper leads UCLA to three-straight wins and a 3-1 Big Ten record. He sounded off on Iamaleava's lackluster outing.

UCLA's interim head coach Tim Skipper celebrates after a Bruins touchdown against Michigan State during the third quarter on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“I’m not going to put it all on Nico," Skipper said. "There are a lot of things that happened. Maryland did a great job of giving us a lot of different looks. Our ground game was hit or miss. It was tough sledding out there."

"But for the whole entire offense, those guys had to stick together. It’s the whole unit. 11 guys and one heartbeat. Nico was being a leader. The leader went down, and maybe he’s out. All of that stuff matters. The belief was still. All three phases had moments that were good. We won this as a team.”

Jul 29, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; A detailed view of UCLA Bruins helmet during Pac-12 Media Day at Novo Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

This was statistically Iamaleava's worst game since their Week 1 blunder against Utah. Iamaleava posted a 111.0 passer rating against the Terps, which is the second-lowest on the season, behind a 107.8 outing against the Utes.

Oct 11, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) looks for an open receiver in the second quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

According to ESPN's QBR, though, deems Iamaleava had a better game than last week's passing masterclass against Michigan State, giving the signal caller a 51.3 rating this week compared to 49.3 last week.

We don't care about statistics here. We're grading Iamaleava's performance on what we saw. And, quite frankly, if it weren't for UCLA's terrific defensive showcase, Iamaleava may have harbored all the blame in a loss.

UCLA's assistant head coach Jerry Neuheisel adjusts his headset during the third quarter in the game against Michigan State on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

His decision-making was often questionable, his passes were errant, and he struggled to make plays with his legs (though that may have been atop Maryland's scouting report). All things considered, the Bruins came out with a win and Iamaleava helped drive UCLA down the field to win the game. We give him a C+ this week.

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