Week 2 AP Poll: UCLA Joins the Fray, Earns Best Ranking in Years
For the first time in four years, the Bruins are a member of the top 25.
UCLA football (2-0) came in at No. 16 in the latest AP Poll on Tuesday following all the Week 1 contests across the country. The Bruins were unranked in the preseason poll, earning just one vote and two points, and had not been ranked at all since they appeared at No. 25 in the Week 3 poll in 2017. UCLA also earned the No. 16 spot in the USA Today Coaches Poll released earlier in the day.
The last time UCLA was ranked this high by the AP was back in the 2016 preseason poll, coming in at No. 16, and the last time it appeared inside the top 20 during the regular season was at No. 18 in Week 11 of the 2015 campaign. That same year, the Bruins topped out at No. 7 in Week 5, and they wound up spending time in the top 10 every season from 2013 to 2015.
The leap up the rankings comes following a season-opening 44-10 win over Hawaii and a 38-27 victory against then-No. 16 LSU, which tumbled out of the rankings following their loss.
As a result, UCLA is ranked for the first time since coach Chip Kelly took the job in 2017. Kelly's contract allows him to cash in on a $25,000 bonus if the Bruins finish inside the AP top 10. That's a long ways away, but No. 16 in early September is at least a starting point.
No. 12 Oregon, No. 14 USC, No. 21 Utah and No. 23 Arizona State were the other Pac-12 teams to make the cut. Washington fell from No. 20 in the preseason to not receiving a single vote after getting upset by its longtime FCS punching bag Montana on Saturday.
The full AP poll is as follows, complete with records and first-place votes:
1. Alabama, 1-0 (59 first-place votes)
2. Georgia, 1-0 (4)
3. Ohio State, 1-0
4. Oklahoma, 1-0
5. Texas A&M, 1-0
6. Clemson, 0-1
7. Cincinnati, 1-0
8. Notre Dame, 1-0
9. Iowa State, 1-0
10. Iowa, 1-0
11. Penn State, 1-0
12. Oregon, 1-0
13. Florida, 1-0
14. USC, 1-0
15. Texas, 1-0
16. UCLA, 2-0
17. Coastal Carolina, 1-0
18. Wisconsin, 0-1
19. Virginia Tech, 1-0
20. Ole Miss, 1-0
21. Utah, 1-0
22. Miami (FL), 0-1
23. Arizona State, 1-0
24. North Carolina, 0-1
25. Auburn, 1-0
Others receiving votes: TCU 80, North Carolina State 69, UCF 61, Liberty 57, LSU 57, Michigan 52, Oklahoma State 39, Indiana 37, Michigan State 28, Nevada 23, Kansas State 13, Louisiana-Lafayette 12, Brigham Young 10, Boston College 8, Ball State 7, Maryland 6, UAB 5, Arizona 5, Florida State 4, Kentucky 3, Army 2, Texas Tech 2, Appalachian State 1
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