Staff Picks: Predicting Indiana's Week 9 matchup with UCLA

Indiana football improved to 7-0 last season by taking down the Spartans of Michigan State.

Now, with the Hoosiers ranked No. 2 in the nation, Indiana is set to welcome UCLA into Bloomington.

Each week throughout the season, our staff will break down the upcoming matchup and make their predictions on how things will play out. From big-picture storylines to score forecasts, our weekly picks aim to give fans a snapshot of expectations heading into game day.

This week, the focus is squarely on the Hoosiers’ penultimate home game of the season against the Bruins.

Zach’s Pick

Yes, UCLA has been a different football team over the last three weeks. However, the Bruins haven’t played a team like the Hoosiers so far this season. UCLA’s wins have come against Penn State, Michigan State and Maryland. Indiana, meanwhile, will be a different animal. I think this could be the closest game Indiana plays the rest of the season. But I also think this is a favorable stylistic matchup for the Hoosiers with the way the Bruins like to run the football and control time of possession. That’s much easier said than done against an Indiana run defense that ranks near the top of the country. If the Hoosiers can slow the run and force the Bruins into 3rd and long situations, that’s when Indiana can dial up the pressure and force some turnovers. On the flip side, UCLA’s pass rush has been pretty much nonexistent this season. Against an offensive line like Indiana’s and against a quarterback like Fernando Mendoza, that spells disaster. I think this game plays out similar to the Michigan State game a week ago, with the Hoosiers winning comfortably after a bit of a slower start.

Prediction: Indiana 35, UCLA 13

Alec’s Pick

UCLA is an entirely different team with interim head coach Tim Skipper, as well as two new play callers on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. They’re 3-0 in the last three weeks and have doubled up in rushing yards per game, nearly tripled its points from non-conference to conference play and doubled up its 3rd down conversion rate offensively. IU has struggled at times with a running QB, and Nico Iamaleava comes in leading the Bruins in carries and yards. Despite UCLA’s increased competitiveness, this is an Indiana team that is much better and on a mission to potentially win a Big Ten and National Championship — all while not looking ahead. Indiana has done a tremendous job at attacking each week head on and not getting carried away with hypotheticals. After having a slow start against Michigan State last week, I expect Indiana to come out with a much better start, especially defensively. I think Indiana rolls in this one, despite some people thinking it will be closer than expected.

Prediction: Indiana 41, UCLA 14

Colin’s Pick

Entering Week 9, UCLA presents what may be the toughest test remaining on Indiana’s regular season schedule. Since the Bruins’ coaching change, they’ve gone 3–0 — a fact the Hoosiers have acknowledged time and time again during media availability this week. Because of that, I don’t think Indiana will be fazed in the slightest and should come out firing on all cylinders.
I expect Fernando Mendoza to be stellar once again, while the defensive front should deliver another impressive showing when it comes to generating quarterback pressure. Although Nico Iamaleava could pose a challenge, I don’t think he’ll be able to replicate the success he and the Bruins have had over the past few weeks. Indiana’s offense will simply be too much to keep up with.

Prediction: Indiana 35, UCLA 17

Kyler’s Pick

Legit question, is this Indiana’s most challenging game this season?Obviously it’s not a road game at Oregon type challenging but as far as home games, this Indiana’s toughest matchup. Other than Indiana, there is not a hotter team in the Big Ten than UCLA who is a completely different team since they made a change at head coach. The Bruins are playing like a team with nothing to lose and would love to shake up the whole college landscape with a win over Indiana. Do I think they will? No but don’t be shocked if they don’t try to make this a game. I think it’ll be closer than some people may think, but Indiana wins by 2+ TDs at the end.

Prediction: Indiana 48, UCLA 28

Drew’s Pick

Since making the change at head coach to Tim Skipper, UCLA has been one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten, winning three straight games. While Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers won’t say it, there is a talent gap between these programs. That talent gap, combined with the Noon kickoff (9:00 a.m. PT), will make this an extremely tall task for the Bruins. While the Bruin offense has clicked during this run, I don’t believe they will be able to score enough against a stout Hoosier defense to stay competitive in this game. Fernando Mendoza and the Indiana offense will ultimately have too much firepower for the UCLA defense and cause this game to get ugly.

Prediction: Indiana 45, UCLA 13

Coach Griff’s Pick

On paper, UCLA enters this matchup riding an impressive three-game winning streak, and some believe the Hoosiers should be on 🚨Upset Alert!🚨— but the context tells a deeper story. The Bruins knocked off Penn State Nittany Lions 42-37, Michigan State Spartans 38-13, and Maryland Terrapins 20-17. With those losses included, the combined conference record of those 3 teams is 1-11 overall, which helps explain why Indiana enters this one as a 24.5-point favorite. While UCLA has found rhythm behind quarterback Nico Iamaleava, the level of competition in their recent wins hasn’t mirrored what they’ll face in Bloomington. Expect a hard-fought, physical contest, but in the end, the Hoosiers’ balance and depth should propel #2 Indiana over a confident UCLA team inside Memorial Stadium.

Prediction: Indiana 31, UCLA 17

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