UCLA’s Momentum Builds With Latest Jump in FPI Rankings

The Bruins are miles above their lowest rankings on ESPN's FPI just a month ago.

Oct 11, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; UCLA defensive back Key Lawrence (4) holds a towel with the Michigan State logo after defeating the Spartans at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (3-4, 3-1 Big Ten) remain one of the hottest teams in college football after pulling out a grueling 20-17 win against the Maryland Terrapins.

The Bruins are night and day compared to the team they were just a month ago. All credit goes to interim head coach Tim Skipper and his staff, filled with the likes of Jerry Neuheisel, Noel Mazzone and Kevin Coyle, for righting the ship.

The numbers are also taking notice. UCLA ranked as low as the high 90s in ESPN's football power index during its 0-4 start. But now, after another win, the Bruins jumped three more spots to No. 64 on the updated ratings.

UCLA had a better chance of finishing the season winless, according to the FPI, than nearly every team in the nation before defeating Penn State three weeks ago. Now, the numbers calculate the Bruins can win 3.7 games this season, with a 1.4 chance of reaching six wins.

These are all major improvements from what we were seeing even three weeks ago. The turnaround is unprecedented.

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3 Bold Observations From UCLA's Grudge Match vs. Maryland

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

UCLA survived one of the most grueling games of the season against Maryland on a game-winning field goal to top the Terps 20-17.

UCLA kicker Mateen Bhaghani iced the game with a 23-yarder to push his Bruins on top. The game-winning drive started at their own 27-yard line with 35 seconds remaining, and a 35-yard Anthony Frias II run put the Bruins in field goal position.

The game was a defensive clash, as the teams traded three-and-outs for the better part of the first three quarters. UCLA was 7-17 on third downs and Maryland was 6-17.

Bruins interim head coach Tim Skipper leads his squad to three straight wins amid a storybook turnaround. Before UCLA prepares for Indiana next week, let's get into three of our boldest observations from the exciting win.

1. UCLA's Defense Showed Up

Michigan State's Makhi Frazier, center, is tackled by UCLA after a gain during the first quarter on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If it weren't for a terrific top-to-bottom performance from the Bruins' defense, this game might've been a blowout.

UCLA's defense played arguably its best game of the season, holding Maryland to 6-of-17 on third downs, 4.4 yards per pass, 4.9 yards per rush, 4.6 yards per play, a fumble and a late-game interception caught by cornerback Scooter Jackson.

The Bruins' offense struggled in the first three quarters, but their defense kept the game manageable.

2. Anthony Frias' Rose Bowl Welcome

Michigan State's Jordan Hall, left, tackles UCLA's Anthony Frias II 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

Anthony Frias II came into the season as UCLA's fourth-string running back, having not scored a touchdown in his four-year collegiate career.

Growing up watching games in the Rose Bowl, Frias manifested that he would one day play in the historic stadium. Fast-forward to the second quarter of Saturday's clash against Maryland, Frias took the ball 55 yards into the end zone for his first career score.

But he didn't just start the game for the Bruins; he finished it, pounding the ball for 35 yards with 18 seconds remaining to put UCLA in chip-in field goal range to seal the game.

3. Bruins Survived Old Demons

Oct 11, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; UCLA Bruins interim head coach Tim Skipper looks up at the video board in the fourth quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

For a minute in the third quarter, it looked like the Bruins would succumb to some of their early-season lapses while trying to gain an advantage in the game.

On multiple occasions, big, momentum-sprouting plays were called back on penalties. The 0-3 Bruins may have folded, but that's the difference between them and the UCLA squad that is 3-1 under Tim Skipper -- they never let up.

Despite the mistakes. The holding calls. The below-average Nico Iamaleava outing. Despite a questionable illegal block in the back call that would make any sane team fold, the Bruins kept on trudging and were rewarded for their relentless fight.

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