UCLA vs. Minnesota Results in the Bruins Buoying Their Big Ten Challenge, Banging on the CFP Door

With yet another win, the UCLA Bruins are now one of just three teams (along with the Miami Hurricanes and Utah Utes) that remain undefeated in the 2026 season, improving to 9-0. Naturally, their path to the College Football Playoff is looking more real by the week, but what about their Week 11 opponent, the Minnesota Golden Gophers?

What Are the Chances of UCLA Making the College Football Playoff?

According to the PFN College Football Playoff Meter (FPM), the chances of UCLA making the CFP are now 52.9% after entering the week at 46.0%. Just as important for a team chasing a conference crown, their odds of reaching the Big Ten Championship Game climbed from 55.4% to 62.7%, as the Bruins now sit alone atop the league and control their own destiny.

For Minnesota, however, the 31-20 defeat was one more blow to a postseason picture that had already slipped away. P.J. Fleck’s Gophers fall to 5-4, and with a résumé already dented by three earlier losses, including a recent loss to Indiana, their at-large playoff hopes are effectively finished. At least yet another bowl-eligible season appears right around the corner.

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The bigger story is what’s happening in Westwood. A year after a 3–9 campaign, Bob Chesney’s first season has UCLA off to its best start since 2005 (the year YouTube launched), fueled by one of the top-10 defenses in the country in scoring defense, takeaways, and turnover margin.

That unit did enough on the road to handle Drake Lindsey and the Minnesota offense 34-20, even as the Bruins still have cleaning up to do. With three games remaining and postseason football nearly here, UCLA will look to tighten the screws, specifically on offense, despite the unit being in senior Ty Dieffenbach’s hands following Week 1 starter Nico Iamaleava’s season-ending injury.

Remaining UCLA Football Schedule

• vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
• at Michigan Wolverines
• vs. USC Trojans

First up is Illinois, which rolls into the Rose Bowl at 5-3 and is dangerous enough to make the Bruins sweat if they’re not sharp.

Then comes the trip that should’ve told us how far this team has come: UCLA heads to Michigan for its first game at “The Big House” since 1996. In a typical season, that would be a brutal spot on any schedule, but this year, Kyle Whittingham’s Wolverines fail to strike fear in any team, especially a UCLA squad with one of the best defenses in the nation.

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And then there’s the finale. The Bruins close the year at home against crosstown rival USC in the Battle for L.A. The Trojans just knocked off Ohio State and could turn the regular-season closer into a de facto playoff eliminator.

Whether UCLA runs the table or stumbles down the stretch, this program is a legitimate College Football Playoff contender for the first time in over a decade. Now, all eyes turn to the Big Ten Championship race and just how far Chesney’s turnaround can ride this historic momentum.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.