UCLA — Big Ten
PPA off / def
0.12 / 0.26
2025
Class rank
#62
class of 2026
Returning PPA
57%
returning production
| 2025 |
OSU W 48–10 | Columbus |
| 2001 |
OSU L 6–13 | away |
| 1999 |
OSU W 42–20 | Columbus |
| 1980 |
OSU L 0–17 | Columbus |
| 1979 |
OSU W 17–13 | away |
| 1976 |
OSU T 10–10 | away |
| 1975 |
OSU W 41–20 | away |
| 1975 |
OSU L 10–23 | away |
| 1962 |
OSU L 7–9 | away |
| 1961 |
OSU W 13–3 | Columbus |
2026 schedule
2025 results (3–9)
Statistical comps — 2025 UCLA's closest analogs
Nearest neighbors by z-scored success rate, explosiveness, run rate & havoc (offense + defense), 2015–25.
2025 leaders
Transfer portal — 2026 (42 in / 29 out)
Origins
The younger sibling that refused the role. Sanders won the 1954 national title and coined the line about winning not being everything, and the Bruins have spent seventy years measuring themselves against the school across town.
Founded 1919 · Began as the Southern Branch of the University of California · first football 1919 · defined by Red Sanders
All-time record
All-time
623–428–31
1925–2025
Win %
59.0%
101 seasons played
Winning seasons
62
61% of seasons
By level: ii/iii 0–3 (1925–1927) · FBS 623–425–31 (1928–2025)
| Best seasons | W | L | Conference |
|---|
| 1982 | 10 | 1 | Pac-10 |
| 1946 | 10 | 1 | Pacific |
| 2005 | 10 | 2 | Pac-10 |
| 1998 | 10 | 2 | Pac-10 |
| 1997 | 10 | 2 | Pac-10 |
Season records from CollegeFootballData, which is why the span starts at 1925 — that is where its coverage of this program begins, not necessarily the first year it fielded a team.
Play-calling tendencies (2025 · garbage time excluded)
| Situation | Plays | Run % | Success % | Nat'l | Avg yds | Expl % |
|---|
| 1st down | 278 | 52% |
45% | 56 of 136 | 5.0 | 11% |
| 2nd down | 207 | 45% |
41% | 95 of 136 | 5.3 | 10% |
| 3rd & short (≤3) | 42 | 60% |
55% | — | 4.0 | 10% |
| 3rd & medium (4–7) | 45 | 31% |
31% | — | 4.4 | 7% |
| 3rd & long (8+) | 51 | 22% |
24% | — | 6.2 | 18% |
| 4th down | 25 | 64% |
56% | — | 4.7 | 12% |
123 drives · 33% ended in points · 7.3 plays and 39.0 yards per drive · 0.71 PPA per drive
Success: 50% of yardage needed on 1st, 70% on 2nd, 100% on 3rd/4th. Explosive: 12+ yd rush / 16+ yd pass. National rank is shown only for 1st and 2nd down, where every team has 100+ plays; the later buckets average 18-43 and a rank there would be noise.
League leaderboard →Most valuable plays (by PPA, 2025)
| Wk | Opp | Play | Yds | PPA |
|---|
| 11 | Nebraska |
(10:07) Shotgun #9 N.Iamaleava pass complete short left to #6 A.Woods caught at NEB50, for… |
45 | 5.47 |
| 6 | Penn State |
Nico Iamaleava run for 52 yds to the PSU 20 for a 1ST down |
52 | 4.32 |
| 8 | Maryland |
Anthony Frias II 55 Yd Run (Mateen Bhaghani Kick) |
55 | 4.28 |
| 8 | Maryland |
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Kwazi Gilmer for 16 yds to the MD 35 Maryland Penalty, per… |
31 | 4.11 |
| 14 | USC |
(07:37) Shotgun #9 N.Iamaleava pass complete short middle to #2 T.Mokiao-Atimalala caught … |
24 | 4.01 |
| 13 | Washington |
(04:04) Shotgun #12 L.Duncan pass complete deep middle to #2 T.Mokiao-Atimalala caught at … |
24 | 3.69 |
| 5 | Northwestern |
Nico Iamaleava run for 32 yds to the NU 45 for a 1ST down |
32 | 3.58 |
| 13 | Washington |
(02:58) Shotgun #12 L.Duncan pass complete short middle to #7 M.Matthews caught at WASH30,… |
37 | 3.58 |