UCLA football (0-3) could not look more different since its last game. Former head coach DeShaun Foster and defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe are gone, and interim head coach Tim Skipper and defensive analyst Kevin Coyle are in. UCLA could earn its first win of the season in its first conference game of the season against Northwestern (1-2, 0-1 Big Ten) at Martin Stadium in Evanston. Here are UCLA’s week five predictions from Sports editor Connor Dullinger and senior staffer Kai Dizon – along with a guest prediction from Managing Editor Shiv Patel.

Connor Dullinger
Sports editor
Prediction: UCLA 23, Northwestern 20

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Most attribute the phrase to Albert Einstein, but few heed the advice.

Even the smartest person in the world will not be able to solve my cognitive dissonance. I picked UCLA in my previous two predictions, and even said against New Mexico that if the Bruins lost, it would be time to look ahead to basketball season.

[Related: Gameday predictions: UCLA vs. New Mexico]

But the Bruins may very well not win another game this season after they travel to Martin Stadium. After Saturday, UCLA faces a gauntlet that boasts a combined 27-2 record and four top-25 teams. Simply put, this may be the last time I pick the Bruins to win.

[Related: UCLA football to face Northwestern in first game without former coach Foster]

Northwestern’s football program is somehow as tragic as UCLA’s. Both squads are the only Big Ten teams with losing records, and the former’s sole victory was over Western Illinois – an FCS squad.

Fortunately for UCLA, Northwestern plays at Martin Stadium – a venue with a capacity of 12,000 – so the Bruins will feel comfortable surrounded by empty bleachers and minimal fans.

The biggest distraction in Evanston will be the high-speed winds coming off of Lake Michigan, which could affect special teams and the passing game, potentially turning the affair into a ground battle – something the Bruins want to avoid.

UCLA’s defense ranks No. 131 out of 134 teams in the FBS in rushing yards allowed per game, conceding 244 per contest. And Northwestern boasts a running back committee approach that logs 5.1 yards per carry.

Do not be surprised if the contest turns into a track meet. And if it does, expect my prediction to be wrong.

Kai Dizon
Daily Bruin senior staff
Prediction: UCLA 0, Northwestern 2

Despite having more family members and high school acquaintances that have attended the institution than I can count on my hands, I have never heard anyone say anything about Northwestern football.

I do not think I have even seen a game on a TV screen – even through the highs of the Pat Fitzgerald era.

Similarly, I have never heard anything nice about UCLA football.

It is not enough to say neither are “football schools.” Both have long been written off under the spotlight a of a power conference.

And it has only gotten worse.

UCLA is the sole Big Ten program without a win this season, saving Northwestern – the only team in with just one – from infamy.

Saturday will be a clash between two teams in free fall. The Bruins appear a dead team stumbling into their second Big Ten campaign, with both an interim head coach and defensive coordinator on the UCLA sidelines for the first time.

And the Wildcats are in their second season in a temporary stadium – which has a capacity of just over 12,000 – while coach David Braun, once a Big Ten Coach of the Year and savior of Northwestern football following the 2023 hazing scandal, is in the hot seat after a 4-8 2024 campaign and a 1-2 start to 2025.

Frankly, I anticipate there will be no winners.

But if I have to pick one, it would be Northwestern.

Even if its one win came against an FCS team, at least they have proven they can win. The Bruins have not.

I am not sure I will want to watch – much less attend – Saturday’s bout. In fact, it seems people have never really wanted to see these two teams duke it out.

Two days prior to gameday in 1931, the then-California Daily Bruin reported that while 50,000 tickets had been bought for the Bruins’ and Wildcats’ showdown in Evanston, many believed they would see the Trojans or Golden Bears come to town.

Hardly anyone cared about UCLA football nearly a century ago, and hardly anyone cares about it now – for good reason.

The Bruins lost that game 19-0.

The only good news is that UCLA cannot score fewer points than it did in 1931.

Shiv Patel
Managing editor
Prediction: UCLA 13, Northwestern 31

I’m from Illinois – specifically, about an hour away from Evanston.

For last year’s Daily Bruin editor Secret Santa, our then-Copy chief Paco gifted me a book titled “Illinois: What’s so Great about this State?”

I can tell you with great certainty that the answer is not Northwestern football.

The Wildcats failed to find the end zone in their first game of the season against Tulane – a team that, until that game, had not recorded a win against a Power Four program since the 2022 season. And one game later, Northwestern failed to get on the board against Oregon until the fourth quarter.

The Bruins will not be facing a formidable opponent today. But the Wildcats definitely won’t be, either.

UCLA is going into its first game without former head coach DeShaun Foster after a string of embarrassing losses, including a stinging defeat to New Mexico at the Rose Bowl.

Both Foster and his predecessor Chip Kelly boasted poor records in their respective first seasons at the helm, and interim head coach Tim Skipper is yet to give us much reason to expect something different.

It is safe to say the Wildcats are far from the crown jewel of my home state. But given the situation of UCLA football, I would be shocked if the Bruins can get their first win of the season at Martin Stadium.