Can the Bruins Make a Bowl Game?

The UCLA Bruins have now won back-to-back games for the first time this season. Do they have a shot at making a bowl game down the stretch?

Oct 14, 2023; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; UCLA Bruins tight end Moliki Matavao (88) runs after a catch during the second half against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images / Soobum Im-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (3-5) just came a lot closer to being eligible to compete in a bowl game at the end of the season. With back-to-back wins on the road against Big Ten teams in their first year in the conference, it is starting to look much more realistic to play a 13th game this season.

A big reason for the Bruins' ugly record is due to the fact that they had to battle three top-25 teams early in the season in No. 16 LSU, No. 8 Oregon, and No. 7 Penn State. Since that gauntlet of a schedule, they are 2-1 in their last three contests, all against Big Ten opponents.

The remaining schedule for the Bruins is somewhat of a favorable one. They will not play another ranked team in their final four games of the regular season, and their toughest test is likely to be the Iowa Hawkeyes (6-3), who they play Friday.

The other three remaining games will be against USC (4-5), Washington (5-4), and Fresno State (5-4). All very winnable games for the Bruins, especially if they play the way they did in their past two games.

The Trojans have completely fallen apart, losing four of their last five games and the Huskies have lost two of their last three, and their latest win was a nail-biter against the Trojans this past Saturday. The Bulldogs will finish the regular season for the Bruins, and that should be a shoo-in victory.

The Bruins are playing their best football at the most ideal time of the season and starting to really click on both sides of the football. Senior quarterback Ethan Garbers has been on a tear his last two games with six combined touchdown passes and over 600 yards passing with zero turnovers.

If Garbers continues on the path that he is on this year, there is no reason why the Bruins cannot win out the rest of the season and pull out what would be an incredible second half of the season to become a six or seven-win team.

With four games left to play in the season, the Bruins will need to win three of those games to become bowl-eligible in their first season in the Big Ten. The odds might not be entirely in their favor, but as Han Solo once said, "Never tell me the odds."

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