What UCLA Learned Facing the Nation’s Top Two Teams

The Bruins had a gauntlet of a schedule, clashing against Indiana and Ohio State in a three-game span.

Nov 15, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back James Peoples (20) runs the ball as UCLA Bruins linebacker Isaiah Chisom (32) makes the tackle during the fourth quarter at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Fresh off winning three consecutive games and turning the program around, Tim Skipper had to prepare the UCLA Bruins for a juggernaut of a second half of the schedule.

The schedule included clashes against the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers, the previously ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes. Naturally, UCLA's miraculous run ended in Bloomington against the Hoosiers and it set the tone for the next two losses against Nebraska and Ohio State.

The odds have been stacked against the Bruins all season, but they truly stood no chance against the nation's outright top two teams. Curt Cignetti and Indiana served them up a 56-6 loss and the Buckeyes swiftly handled the Bruins, 48-10.

During Monday's media availability, UCLA interim coach Tim Skipper detailed exactly what he and his squad learned from having to match up with two giants of college football in a three-game span.

"Whenever you're playing the number one and number two team in the country, you're always going to learn from those experiences," Skipper said. "They're ranked that way for a reason. I mean, just the way they do everything, the way they operate, how they don't have a ton of penalties, how they are always gaining positive yards, they're never going backwards.

"Like, all these things that you could just learn that all coaches around the country are preaching. So, I think we went into the games fully prepared, went and attacked it. The went how they went, and then you hopefully learn from them and it leads into a better next week, you know what I mean? We'll learn from both of those games constantly and we have two games left and hopefully experiences from those games will carry over to these."

Indiana's Dominique Ratcliff (91) pressures UCLA's Nico Iamaleava (9) during the Indiana versus UCLA football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UCLA's final two games are no walks in the park either. The Bruins host Washington for their final home game on Saturday and end the season against the No. 16 (AP) USC Trojans in the Coliseum.

Washington's Week 12

Coming off a disappointing 13-10 upset loss to Wisconsin in Week 11, the Huskies responded by dominating the lowly Purdue Boilermakers, 49-13. Washington running back Adam Mohammed scored a career-high three rushing touchdowns en route to the victory.

Washington was ranked 23rd on the CFP Top 25 before faltering to the Badgers last week. The win over Purdue put voters back on notice in this week's AP Top 25, as the Huskies received eight votes. They aren't exactly another ranked opponent on UCLA's daunting second half of season, but they are pretty close to it.

Nov 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies running back Adam Mohammed (24) and wide receiver Omari Evans (5) celebrate after a touchdown scored by Mohammed during the first against the Purdue Boilermakers half at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

USC's Week 12

One of the biggest wins of the college football week, UCLA's crosstown rival kept is College Football Playoff hopes alive. The Trojans came out of a gritty ranked matchup against No. 21 Iowa with a 26-21 win by scoring the final 19 points of the game.

The win moved the Trojans up one spot on the updated AP poll to No. 16 in the nation. UCLA finished the season against Southern California in the Coliseum on Saturday, Nov. 29. Who knows who will be suiting up for the Bruins in that matchup, so ESPN Analytics gives UCLA just a 5.9% chance to win the game.

Nov 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans cornerback Alex Graham (27) safety Christian Pierce (24) cornerback Decarlos Nicholson (17) and safety Kennedy Urlacher (28) celebrate after Iowa Hawkeyes turn the ball over on fourth down during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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