Road to 112: Who will bring the next championship home?
(Victoria Chang / Daily Bruin)
The original version of the headline accompanying this article contained an error and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for more information.
No. 16 women’s volleyball (15-6, 6-4 Pac-12)
Yes, the Bruins may have some highlights to their season. They are ranked 16th, have improved compared to last year’s disappointing performance of missing the playoffs and have even shown the ability to play well against the top teams in the nation. But at this point, inconsistencies throughout the season mean only one win separates UCLA women’s volleyball from being a .500 Pac-12 team. Realistically, this team will have to make some drastic improvements by first beating teams it is expected to win against and then showing that it can actually scrape wins against the nation’s best, not just hang with them in close losses.
Compiled by Aubrey Yeo, Bruin Sports senior staff.
No. 1 women’s soccer (15-0-2, 7-0-1 Pac-12)
It’s hard not to see UCLA women’s soccer making another championship run. That’s certainly been the case for the NSCAA Coaches poll, which has picked UCLA as the top-ranked team in the nation for the 11th straight week. The pedigree from last year’s title win is essentially still intact, with midfielder Jenna Richmond being the only starting player from 2013 that UCLA lost to the draft. So far this season, UCLA has managed to preserve one of the few remaining undefeated records in the country. The team also boasts the No. 1-ranked defense and is en route to defending its Pac-12 championship. If the Bruins can maintain their fine form till December, they could very likely be the team that wins it all in Florida.
Compiled by Aubrey Yeo, Bruin Sports senior staff.
No. 22 football (6-2, 3-2 Pac-12)
Coming into the season, UCLA football was one of the most hyped teams in the nation, so much so that many national college football writers picked the Bruins as one of the four teams to reach the College Football Playoff for a chance to compete for the national title. After eight games, it’s clear that won’t be the case. UCLA has two losses, which is almost surely enough to knock the team out of playoff contention, given the amount of zero and one-loss teams. Barring some sort of unprecedented and unrealistic losing epidemic spreading across all of the nation’s top teams in the final weeks, UCLA’s chances of winning the national title are nonexistent.
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.
No. 3 men’s water polo (21-2, 5-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation)
This season, UCLA proved it was ready to learn from the past and move on, jumping out to a 18-0 record to open the season. After suffering adversity in losses to Stanford and USC, the Bruins proved they have found the missing piece to claim the program’s first NCAA title in a decade: resilience. UCLA was forced to face Cal, one of the most storied programs in the nation, on the road immediately following its first two losses of the season. After a 13-8 victory, the Bruins returned home to overcome Stanford 7-6 – a clear show of their ability to persevere and play big when it matters. UCLA’s character has matured, and this is a team that is ready for its turn at winning an NCAA championship.
Compiled by Claire Fahy, Bruin Sports senior staff.
No. 11 (men) and No. 29 (women) cross country
UCLA has been on a steady climb since late August, when both teams entered the season unranked. The men’s team finally broke the ranked-team threshold after placing second at the Washington Invitational on Oct. 4, behind then-No. 2 Northern Arizona University. The women, on the other hand, found their break into the national rankings after placing 20th among big-name cross country schools in the prestigious Wisconsin adidas Invitational on Oct. 17. Although the Bruins are currently ranked heading into the postseason, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to continue that final push or even finish strong within the Pac-12 with highly ranked Colorado and perennial cross country and track and field powerhouse Oregon also vying for the conference title.
Compiled by Aubrey Yeo, Bruin Sports senior staff.
No. 1 men’s soccer (10-3-3, 5-1-1 Pac-12)
The Bruins are back atop the national rankings after winning two games against the then-No. 1 Washington Huskies over the past two weeks. These wins at least temporarily silence doubts that surrounded UCLA earlier this season, when the team’s offense struggled mightily.
What’s working in the Bruins’ favor is that they seem to be peaking at the right time, as the postseason is soon approaching. The team’s offense is now clicking, having scored two games or more in each of its past four contests – all victories. However, UCLA did something similar last year, beating highly ranked Washington late in the season en route to attaining the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, only to lose to unranked Connecticut in the quarterfinals. If the Bruins are to reverse their fortunes this year, they will need to make sure that they don’t overlook any opponent, because the talent needed to win a championship seems to be there.
Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.
Correction: UCLA has won 111 NCAA championships.
