Bob Chesney, the guy UCLA hired to fix a total mess, has the No. 12 Bruins playing out of their minds. This team, picked to finish a laughable 13th in the 18-team Big Ten, is now sitting pretty with their highest ranking in four years and is one of only nine unbeaten FBS teams at midseason. Seriously, they’re tied with juggernauts like No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana at a perfect 3-0 in conference play. It’s wild, and the Associated Press writers covering the Big Ten just named Chesney the conference’s top coach and UCLA the most surprising team. You just love to see it when everyone counts you out!
How’d We Get Here? Chesney’s Masterclass in the Big Ten
Let’s be real, Chesney walked into a dumpster fire when he got hired last December. The Bruins were a brutal 8-16 overall and 6-12 in conference games the previous two seasons under Deshaun Foster and Tim Skipper. That’s a “fixer-upper” if I’ve ever heard one! But Chesney, who pulled off a 21-6 record at James Madison and even made the College Football Playoff last season, wasn’t fazed. He immediately snagged a huge win when starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava decided to stick around, even if he’s injured now. And talk about bringing in talent: 46 transfers joined the team, including 11 absolute studs from James Madison, plus 17 freshmen. Yeah, a massive infusion of donor cash for NIL helped, but still, this department was a financial wreck, and then the chancellor even fired the athletic director who hired Chesney just five days before the opener! Total chaos, right? Yet, Chesney is the first football coach in UCLA history to start his debut season 5-0. They’re leading the Big Ten with a whopping 253 rushing yards per game, and Wayne Knight, one of those James Madison transfers, is absolutely tearing it up, leading the conference with 109.6 yards per game. Remember that 54-3 shellacking at Maryland two weeks ago? That was their most lopsided Big Ten game win since 1955, and their 17-15 road win at Oregon last week was their first against the Ducks there since 2004. This team is for real, folks.
Big Ten’s Midseason Stars Lighting It Up
While UCLA is grabbing all the headlines, other players in the Big Ten are making some serious noise at the midway point. Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles is absolutely balling out after transferring from Oregon State and then Michigan State, where he got benched last season. This dude has led Northwestern to a 4-1 start, completing 71.4% of his passes for 234.4 yards per game, throwing nine touchdowns, and get this: ZERO interceptions. Talk about a comeback! Then there’s Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who was the unanimous pick for his award. He’s putting together what looks like one of the best individual seasons ever for the Buckeyes. Smith’s got 48 catches, 916 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns, which are all second-most in the entire country. He’s hit over 150 yards in four of six games, with two of those being over 200 yards! And over at defending national champion Indiana, Josh Hoover, who’s their third one-year transfer QB under Curt Cignetti, is on fire with 17 touchdown passes and no picks. Remember, he threw 33 interceptions in 35 games over his previous three seasons at TCU, so this is a crazy turnaround. Finally, Indiana edge rusher Tobi Osunanmi, a transfer from Kansas State who missed the second half of last season due to injury, is leading the Big Ten in… well, the article cuts off, but you know he’s making a huge impact!
The Big Ten race is heating up, and with teams like UCLA, Ohio State, and Indiana all unbeaten in conference play, the second half of the season is going to be an absolute slugfest. Can Chesney’s Bruins keep this incredible run going and shock everyone even more? You bet your bottom dollar we’ll be watching to find out!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
Leave a Reply