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Fox broadcaster blasts College Football Playoff committee for neglecting UCLA’s perfect mark
UCLA beat Minnesota 34-20 away from home, improving to 9-0 for the first time since 1998. Fox commentator Joel Klatt criticised the College Football Playoff Selection Committee’s rankings and said the Bruins should move up, arguing that their unbeaten record deserved greater recognition.
UCLA recorded 466 yards of offence, including 163 rushing yards; Wayne Knight ran for 109 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Ty Dieffenbach threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns, while the defence limited Minnesota to fewer than 100 rushing yards and forced two turnovers. Before Saturday’s games, UCLA sat behind three unbeaten teams and several teams with losses; it has three regular-season games remaining, including a visit to Michigan on 21 November.
In short
- UCLA improved to 9-0 with a 34-20 win over Minnesota.
- Joel Klatt said the playoff committee should rank UCLA higher.
- The Bruins have three regular-season games left.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
UCLA’s 9-0 record is a compelling case for a higher ranking: the team has won every game, including a road victory over Minnesota, and its balanced offence and effective defence suggest it is performing strongly on both sides of the ball. Rewarding that consistency would recognise results achieved on the field and give an unbeaten team a fair chance to contend for the playoff.
The case against
An unbeaten record alone may not settle how teams compare, since schedules and the quality of opponents can differ, and UCLA still has three regular-season games to play. The committee can reasonably weigh the full season’s strength of performance and remaining challenges, rather than move the Bruins ahead of teams it judges to have stronger overall cases.