This isn’t your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it’s my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
- Who do I think is good?
- Why do I think they’re good?
- What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where UCLA lands in my Ultimate 136.
UCLA ranking: 48
Last year’s ranking: 74
Top player: QB Nico Iamaleava: Owns an 11-3 record as a starting QB; totaled 2,930 passing yards, 21 passing TDs, 435 rushing yards, and 6 rushing TDs in his career at Tennessee.
RJ’s take: As QB Nico Iameleava’s relationship with Tennessee grew more acrimonious, it became clear that a divorce was in the making. DeShaun Foster saw an opportunity, and he took it.
In what looked like a straight swap, projected Bruins starter Joey Aguilar transferred to Tennessee after Iamaleava transferred to UCLA. And, for the first time in his short career at UCLA, Foster has a former five-star at QB. But Bruins fans know that alone won’t fix their problem of breaking through in the Big Ten. They had Dante Moore, who will start for Oregon this season, and all they managed to show for it was a single top-25 win, a city championship over rival USC and an 8-5 record.
With Iamaleava at QB, the team feels like it should have a better passing attack, another capable rusher on the field at all times, and a playmaker when the play breaks down. But that won’t matter much if UCLA doesn’t improve its rushing attack after ranking 132nd among 134 FBS teams last season.
The slate isn’t kind either. UCLA will take on Utah and UNLV in its non-conference schedule, while also playing Penn State, at Indiana, Nebraska, at Ohio State and at USC.
[Check out RJ Young’s Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]
UCLA Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+126) Under 5.5 (-154)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school’s rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I’ll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
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