The California redwood is one of America’s mightiest trees, standing stout, spreading its roots and towering above all else as the tallest living tree species in the world.

If coach Bob Chesney’s first year of laying roots in Westwood has already planted the Bruins at No. 4 in the second College Football Playoff rankings of the season, college football fans elsewhere might want to start wondering just how tall – and how quickly – this mighty redwood can grow.

No. 4 UCLA (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) will have another opportunity to showcase its might and deepen its roots in the Bruin community at the Rose Bowl on Friday night when it takes on red-hot Illinois (6-3, 4-2). The Fighting Illini charge into Pasadena riding a four-game win streak and boast the 35th best strength of schedule in the country – two spots after No. 5 Notre Dame. After two consecutive losses to then-No. 7 Ohio State and Purdue, Illinois squeaked by Michigan State on a missed Spartan two-point conversion and controlled the pace of the game in tough wins against Oregon, at Maryland and most recently at home against a Nebraska team that started the year 5-0.

Controlling the tempo has been accomplished via Bret Bielema establishing his team as a dangerous, multifaceted offensive opponent. Illinois averages 392.2 yards and 28.4 points per game, with 155.3 of those yards coming on the ground. Leading the charge has been running back Aidan Laughery, whose 615 rushing yards on 100 carries and 6.2 yards per attempt have made him the centerpiece of a rushing attack averaging five yards per carry.

And, similar to UCLA’s offensive structure, Illinois’ backfield doesn’t leave Laughery out there alone. Ca’Lil Valentine, Jordan Anderson and Javari Barnett have combined for another 609 rushing yards and five touchdowns, providing Bielema and offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. with a variety of options to keep opposing defensive fronts guessing.

Yet Illinois is hardly a one-dimensional rushing machine. Fighting Illini quarterback Katin Houser has led an Illinois passing attack averaging 236.9 yards per game that has accounted for 20 of the team’s 29 offensive touchdowns. Houser has completed 64.3% of his passes for 1,955 yards, 16 touchdowns and just five interceptions this year, while Illinois as a whole converts 45% of its third-down opportunities – 29th in the nation and the best conversion rate of any UCLA opponent so far.

Houser’s favorite target this year has been wide receiver Collin Dixon, who has racked up 910 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season.

“His catch radius is elite,” said defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler. “His ability to get open and create separation is elite. His ability to make contested catches is elite. It’s the foundation of their offense.”

Dixon and Co. will be met by a defense that not only has the best third-down stop rate in the country at 26%, but one that has been even more unbeatable in third-and-long situations. Hitschler’s unit has established itself as one of the nation’s toughest defensive units, allowing just 264.7 yards and 14.1 points per game.

UCLA’s rushing defense has held opponents to just 87.7 yards per contest, the 10th-best mark nationally. While Houser has demonstrated impressive accuracy, he’ll be facing a secondary allowing just 177 passing yards per game and a nationally best 49.3% opponent completion percentage.

Even those statistics are bound to improve. Senior linebacker Sammy Omosigho has been one of the country’s best linebackers, with 10.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, matched with the skills of defensive linemen junior Sahir West and fifth-year Aiden Gobaira as well as fifth-year linebacker Jalen Woods, who have all combined for 18.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. In the backfield, sophomore outside linebacker Scott Taylor and senior defensive back Malik Hartford had standout performances in UCLA’s win against Minnesota, and have joined senior defensive backs Scooter Jackson and Ta’Shawn James as versatile weapons in the secondary.

“They’ve got really good players in a really good scheme,” Hitschler said. “They know where they are, and they know how to use each other and complement each other well. And they’re tough. Their head coach is tough. Their offensive coordinator is tough. They have a good sense of how to attack a team, and they make adjustments week to week really well.”

On the opposite sideline, the Fighting Illini have been considerably less convincing. While their rushing defense has held opponents to a respectable 131.2 yards per game, the secondary has been a far less imposing obstacle, surrendering 245.6 passing yards per game – the worst in the Big Ten. Opposing quarterbacks have completed 67.5% of their attempts, and Illinois has generated just three interceptions and 11 sacks through nine contests. The Illini have also struggled to get off the field on third down, allowing opponents to convert 45.2% of their opportunities, a bottom-25 mark nationally.

If nothing else, senior quarterback Ty Dieffenbach will be heading into this game with the confidence and the motivation to take some big swings. In Saturday’s 34-20 victory over Minnesota, Dieffenbach threw for a career-high 303 yards on just eight completions, connecting with senior receiver Aidan Mizell on two separate 75-yard touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to put the Gophers away.

“He has a lot of control over the football,” said offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy. “You look at that first one he threw to Aidan. It was an unbelievable job by Sweazie (fifth-year offensive lineman Carter Sweazie). If you watch him, he made the play happen. And then Ty’s response to being able to step up in the pocket. … His pocket presence allows him to be able to manipulate, maneuver and then deliver the ball downfield.”

UCLA’s offense continues to challenge opposing defenses with a combination of heavy play-action passing attacks and a burn-and-churn rushing offense that can take over games. If the Fighting Illini decide to focus on containing Mizell or senior wide receivers Landon Ellis and Semaj Morgan, they’ll have to give the offensive edge to the nation’s 14th-best rushing attack led by the three-headed running back monster of fifth-years Wayne Knight and Anthony Woods, as well as senior Jaivian Thomas.

Nevertheless, Illinois has already demonstrated an ability to win close games, control possession and dictate the physicality of a contest, and Bielema’s squad has the offensive balance to challenge a Bruin defense that has rarely been forced to play from behind.

Yet if nine consecutive victories have proven anything, it is that Chesney’s Bruins have developed an identity rooted in far more than individual performances or weekly statistical dominance. From the physicality in the trenches to the stifling defense, UCLA has continued to grow stronger as the season progresses.

“We knew we were onto something through the winter, as challenging as we made it for these guys when you’re trying to build the building blocks of what it should look like,” Chesney said. “It was not by accident. It was purposefully done. And when you put enough of the right-minded people together in that locker room that are willing to fight and get after it every single day together and pay attention to all the little things and stay positive and attack it urgently, … that ultimately is to me what leads us to where we are, here, today.”