- UCLA hired Bob Chesney as its new head coach.
- UCLA has +50000 odds to win the National Championship.
- There are +12500 odds for UCLA to win the Big Ten.
LOS ANGELES – UCLA football is primed to be the next Indiana Hoosiers success story, and nobody is talking about it. The Bruins have followed the exact blueprint as Indiana and could be in line for some early success.
They hired Bob Chesney from James Madison to be its next head coach. Chesney is coming off a 12-2 season that ended with a trip to the College Football Playoff. Indiana hired Curt Cignetti from JMU as well after an 11-1 season and was ranked as high as 18th in the country.
Going even further, both Chesney and Cignetti took their entire coaching staff and multiple starters from James Madison as well. Cignetti took 13 players with him while Chesney took 11. Each of their first-year transfer portal classes lines up as well with Indiana’s 2024 class ranking 10th in the nation, while UCLA’s ranks 11th.
Even under center at QB, there are similarities. In Cignetti’s first season, Kurtis Rourke transferred in as a multi-year starter from Ohio, coming off a rough season prior. Chesney’s situation is different with Nico Iamaleava, who has had one year at UCLA under his belt since transferring from Tennessee. But still a multi-year starter that transferred in after struggling.
Massive Betting Value On The Board
College football prop betting sites haven’t caught on to this yet, with value remaining on the board similar to where Indiana sat ahead of the 2024 season when Cignetti took over.
UCLA 2026 Preseason Odds
- National Championship: +50000
- Big Ten Championship: +12500
- To Make CFP: +1600
- Win Total: 6.5 (Over +100)
Indiana 2024 Preseason Odds
- National Championship: +100000
- Big Ten Championship: +30000
- To Make CFP: Not Listed
- Win Total: 5.5 (Over -155)
While UCLA’s odds on California prop betting sites are significantly shorter than Indiana’s were in 2024, there is still plenty of upside here to get in early on before the season starts.
UCLA opens Week 1 with a massive rivalry game on the road against the Cal Golden Bears.
