After UCLA was battered 56-6 by No. 2 Indiana at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana, on Oct. 25, the squad had its second bye week of the 2025 campaign to bounce back and recenter. But Saturday will be UCLA’s first real test, when it faces Nebraska at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Saturday’s affair represents the Bruins’ Family Weekend, an occasion they have won three straight.

Connor Dullinger
Sports editor
Prediction: UCLA 27, Nebraska 20

Success isn’t measured by how many times you fall, but it is quantified by how many times you rise again.

There is no doubt the Bruins have fallen.

A 0-4 start and the departure of the head coach and both coordinators impeded the Bruins’ 2025 season race.

And UCLA’s 56-6 loss to No. 2 Indiana on Oct. 25 – the program’s biggest loss since 2011 – represents the team’s latest fall.

But just like UCLA followed its winless start with three consecutive wins, the Bruins will follow their historic defeat with a victory that will not only get the relatives visiting for Family Weekend on their feet but keep the team in the hunt for a bowl game.

The absence of Dylan Raiola due to a season-ending injury – suffered last week against USC – only adds fuel to the Bruin fire. Backup quarterback TJ Lateef has yet to register a college start, and it’s very unlikely the true freshman will have his Rudy moment at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.

His dual-threat ability may pose a risk to the UCLA defense and instill fear in the Bruin faithful, but redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava should have no problem winning the signal-caller duel.

The Cornhuskers struggle to mitigate opposing rushing attacks, and the Bruin running back room is healthy for the first time in weeks now that redshirt junior tailback Anthony Woods is back from injury.

And with inexperience and lack of firepower leading the Huskers’ huddle, the UCLA defense should have no issues creating turnovers and costly mistakes.

Kai Dizon
Daily Bruin senior staff
Prediction: UCLA 28, Nebraska 24

The Bruins may have thought they dodged a bullet when Raiola was ruled out for the rest of the season Sunday.

But a shot fired does not mean a second bullet is not waiting in the chamber.

Lateef, a true freshman, will make his first collegiate start Saturday. Lateef has made three appearances this year, totaling 16 completions on 19 passes for 261 yards through the air, alongside 50 rushing yards on 11 carries for three total touchdowns.

More importantly, Lateef is a Compton local. I bet playing at the Rose Bowl has ranked pretty high on his bucket list for a while.

UCLA will still have the upper hand coming off a bye week – and the Bruins will need a win to keep their slim bowl game hopes alive.

But Lateef and the Huskers will make it close.

Outside of Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles, UCLA has struggled to contain dual-threat quarterbacks.

Utah’s Devon Dampier threw for 206 yards on an 84% clip while rushing for 87 yards. UNLV’s Anthony Colandrea completed 71.4% of his 21 passes for 203 yards while picking up 59 with his legs.

Even Penn State’s Drew Allar rushed for a career-high 78 yards against UCLA and accumulated 200 yards through the air. Maryland’s Malik Washington – a true freshman like Lateef – rushed for 67 yards in the Rose Bowl and has just 99 yards on the ground this season.

Whether Lateef sinks or swims in a dream come true Saturday will likely determine Nebraska’s fate, but UCLA has more to play for.

After getting clocked in the head by Indiana, much of UCLA’s season depends on how it responds Saturday.

And by the looks of how the Bruins performed during their three-game win streak, they’ll be up to the task – it just won’t be easy.

Grant Walters
Assistant Sports editor
Prediction: UCLA 31, Nebraska 20

Football is a team sport.

But the best teams often have the best quarterbacks.

Lateef will make his first collegiate start Saturday after Raiola sustained a season-ending injury in Nebraska’s 21-17 loss to USC.

And Lateef recorded just seven passing yards and 25 scrimmage yards throughout the third and fourth quarter against the Trojans, leaving many questions unanswered regarding his collegiate ability.

The true freshman will also face a Bruin secondary that has allowed less than 200 passing yards per game this season.

The Bruins boast a prolific offensive orchestrator to match Lateef – Iamaleava.

Despite Iamaleava’s recent struggles against Maryland and Indiana – throwing a combined four interceptions across both games – he flashed his ability to clinch victories under center.

The Long Beach, California, local notched 294 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns against then-No. 7 Penn State to help secure UCLA’s 42-37 upset victory.

But Iamaleava will likely have his hands full against one of the Big Ten’s top-ranked pass defenses. Nebraska limits opposing signal-callers to just 128.3 air yards per contest, which ranks second in the Big Ten.

What separates the redshirt sophomore is his dual-threat ability, though.

And he can exploit a Cornhusker defensive front that allows the third-highest rushing yards per game in the Big Ten.

Iamaleava stampeded the Nittany Lion defensive front – which surrenders the fifth-most ground production in the conference – with his 128 rushing yards Oct. 4.

History repeats itself.

Quarterback play decides the outcomes of many contests, and Iamaleava will outshine Lateef to spearhead UCLA’s fourth victory of the 2025 campaign.

But I expect Iamaleava to achieve most of his production Saturday in an unconventional manner – with his legs rather than his arm.

Dylan Winward
Editor in chief
Prediction: UCLA 28, Nebraska 21

There’s been significant debate recently about the merits of the Bruins’ home stadium.

The university, it seems, is exploring a move away from one of the most historic venues in college football, something catalyzed in part by an attempt to create a better in-stadium atmosphere.

Whether or not you actually believe moving to Inglewood will fix that, there appears to be evidence that crowds make performances.

[Related: Lawsuit accuses UCLA of trying to move home football games to SoFi Stadium]

UCLA has won 55% of home games in the last 10 years, almost 10% higher than the 46.5% overall win rate.

When you look at Family Weekend – where parents come to town to watch their hungover progeny 8-clap – the number of supporting fans is even higher.

In fact, on average, more than 53,000 Bruin faithful descend on the Rose Bowl during family weekend.

And the support seems to work.

UCLA has won 62.5% of its family weekend games in the last 10 years, beating both its home and overall averages.

And many of those games represented convincing wins. Even in most of the years where UCLA lost – like in 2021 against Oregon or in 2016 against Utah – the margins of defeat were small. In front of tuition-paying parents, UCLA performs.

And that’s why I’m backing the Bruins to pull it off again.

Even though there’s nothing that makes sense about a Bruin win from a football perspective, it didn’t stop them from beating the Nittany Lions earlier this season. UCLA also beat the odds against Michigan State and Maryland, so why can’t they against Nebraska?

If the end is indeed soon for the Rose Bowl, interim head coach Tim Skipper and assistant head coach and tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel owe parents one last swan song.