We’re less than two months away from Bob Chesney leading the UCLA Bruins out for the 2026 season. There’s a belief that the new season will be a step in the right direction for the program, the real question is how much can the Bruins improve from their 3-9 2025 season?

UCLA has put in the work since Chesney took over. The Bruins added over 40 new players and currently have a Top-20 2027 recruiting class. Even with the improvements that the Bruins have made, UCLA still resides in a very tough Big Ten Conference.

The Big Ten has produced the past three national champions, and while the Bruins won’t face Ohio State or Indiana in the regular season, it’s still far from a cake walk for UCLA. Since joining the Big Ten in 2024, the Bruins have yet to produce a winning record.

Brad Crawford of CBS Sports projected each game in the Big Ten this season, with Crawford envisioning a 7-5 debut season for Chesney. That’s a four win improvement from last year’s finish but Chesney is fresh off of a College Football Playoff appearance with James Madison, and he won’t be satisfied with just being bowl eligible.

Crawford has UCLA defeating San Diego State, Purdue, Maryland, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Nevada and Illinois and has the Bruins falling to Cal, Oregon, Minnesota, Michigan and USC. It wouldn’t be the ideal outcome for UCLA’s rivalries, with Crawford having the Bruins lose to all three of the former Pac-12 teams they face.

“Under first-year coach Bob Chesney, the Bruins are already trending toward more structure and physicality on both sides of the ball. Chesney's program-building approach should stabilize a team that's often been volatile in recent seasons, especially late in games,” Crawford said. “The schedule isn't overwhelming, and UCLA has enough offensive pieces to win a couple of the 50-50 matchups. The key will be defensive improvement and avoiding the extended losing streaks that have defined past seasons. If quarterback Nico Iamaleava settles in with this new scheme, seven wins becomes a reasonable midpoint outcome for Year 1.”

This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: CBS Sports predicts how UCLA football will fare in 2026