UCLA returns to CFP rankings — and might stick this time

UCLA entered the first College Football Playoff rankings at No. 8, putting the unbeaten Bruins on course to host a first-round game if they remain among the top eight. The ranking marks a milestone for coach Bob Chesney’s resurgent team and gives UCLA a chance to reach the expanded 12-team playoff for the first time.

UCLA is 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Big Ten, but has beaten only one team that was ranked at the time, Oregon, which has since fallen out of the rankings. The Bruins face Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan before a possible season-ending showdown with USC, ranked No. 20 at 7-2; Alabama and Texas, both 6-2, sit at Nos. 5 and 7. The top four teams receive byes, while teams ranked fifth to eighth would host first-round games.