Way Too Early Wisconsin Football Opponent Preview: UCLA

Seeing the Badgers take the field in Pasadena for an occasion other than the Rose Bowl will feel strange, but I think this game is sneakily one of the more important ones on the schedule in 2026.

Ideally, coming off a bye week and home game against Michigan State, Luke Fickell and company will be well-rested and have at least one conference win, with a chance to make it two, or three in a perfect world, with this matchup with UCLA.

Like Michigan State, UCLA has a head coach in his first year with the program in Bob Chesney, and his run to the College Football Playoff in 2026, along with the success of the last James Madison coach to make the jump to the Big Ten, has Bruins fans excited for the direction of the program.

How 2025 ended

Streaks were the theme of UCLA’s 2025 campaign. The Bruins opened the year with four-straight losses, including a 25-point loss at home to New Mexico. Following the game, DeShaun Foster was fired, and after a loss to Northwestern in the conference opener, the Tim Skipper-led Bruins won three-consecutive games.

The 42-point offensive showing in an upset over Penn State was the biggest win of the season, but for the three games, the UCLA offensive looked explosive, and it seemed maybe it had turned a corner. The success was short-lived, however.

To close the year, UCLA lost its final five games, ending the season with a 3-9 record, with all three wins coming in conference play. The three-game stretch was fun to watch, but it was clear change was needed, and that’s where Chesney enters the picture.

Key losses

By a somewhat large margin, Kwazi Gilmer was UCLA’s leading receiver in 2025, reeling in 50 catches for 535 yards and four touchdowns. He stayed in the conference this offseason, but with a different program, transferring to Nebraska.

Nico Iamaleava will once again start at quarterback for the Bruins, and we know he’s talented, but transitioning into a new offense without your top receiver makes for a difficult transition. Chesney and his staff will have to get creative to ease the transition for Iamaleava.

On defense, but making the same transition to Nebraska via the portal is Anthony Jones Jr.. It wasn’t a spectacular defensive group by any means in 2025, but Jones tied for a team lead in quarterback hurries, along with a couple tackles for loss and a pass breakup.

His 6-foot-5 frame coming off the edge was one of the lone bright spots for the UCLA defense last season, and now as he plays for his fifth Big Ten school in five seasons, he will be one of the guys the Bruins miss on that side of the ball.

Bob Chesney addressing the media at his introductory press conference. — Dec 9, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins football coach Bob Chesney speaks at introductory press conference at Renee Luskin Conference Center Centennial Ballroom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Key additions

According to the two players I feel are major losses, Chesney did a great job filling the holes on this roster.

To provide relief for Iamaleava, Chesney landed Leland Smith, a 6-foot-4 transfer wideout from San Jose State. Smith logged 43 receptions for 688 yards and three touchdowns in 2025. He’ll get a chance to play a major role in the UCLA offense as he makes the jump to power-conference competition.

Wisconsin has a handful of new faces in the secondary, especially at corner back, and seeing a big-bodied receiver who can stretch a defense fairly early in the conference slate could prove valuable as the season goes on.

Every season, Group of Five transfers make a huge impact in power conferences after transferring up, and Sahir West, who followed Chesney from James Madison, is a guy I think could prove to be a major factor defensively for the Bruins, and maybe even push for an all-league spot.

The 6-foot-4, 270 pound edge rusher logged seven sacks in his freshman season for the Dukes. At his size, he has a blend of quickness and power off the edge, and I expect him to continue to terrorize quarterbacks, even with the jump in competition.

2026 outlook

Looking at the Bruins’ schedule, I wouldn’t pencil them in for a bowl game with total certainty, nor would I say the season is a failure if they fall short of six wins, but it’s a reasonable schedule that gives Chesney a fair chance to do so in his first season.

The slate includes trips to Oregon and Michigan, which are certainly the toughest games on the schedule, but if it goes 3-0 in the nonconference, UCLA would need three wins in the league.

It will have opportunities against Purdue, Maryland, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Minnesota and Illinois to pick up league wins, all of which it could have a real chance in.

I believe in Chesney and his ability to get this program back to a respectable state, so I think the realistic season outlook is to shoot for bowl eligibility, but falling just short wouldn’t be a total disaster.

Prediction

Wisconsin 27, UCLA 24

This game is similar to the game against Michigan State in my eyes, but on the road. I really do think that we’ll see a level of desperation from Wisconsin that we haven’t seen in Fickell’s tenure thus far, and this is only a game people will really discuss if the Badgers lose.

A kickoff time hasn’t been set, but this game could be put in the late-night slot since neither team has done much of late to deserve a primetime window. I could see this being the game where Cooper Catalano or Mason Posa make a big play to seal the deal late, and it becomes a memorable moment for Badger fans.

Unless Wisconsin pulls off an upset at Lambeau or in Happy Valley, this would be the first win away from Camp Randall, and I think the Badgers get it done.

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