Here are the rankings of the top 10 UCLA football teams of all time, along with the reasons for their ranking in this top 10 all-time ranking.
Some of these teams won nine or more games as well as earning an invitation to the Rose Bowl game on January 1st and becoming Rose Bowl champions. Some of these teams as well upset top-five ranked teams from the Big Ten or teams in conference play like USC and in non-conference play like Tennessee.
It was a difficult task to narrow it down to ten teams and then ranked them in order from ten to one due to various top and historical teams having similar resumes. Here is a look at the top ten UCLA football teams of all time.
The 1985 UCLA Bruins under head coach Terry Donahue, finished in first place in the Pacific-10 Conference. The Bruins also ended their season defeating No. 4 ranked Iowa in the 1986 Rose Bowl.
UCLA’s offensive leaders that season were quarterback David Norrie with 1,819 passing yards, running back Gaston Green with 712 rushing yards, and wide receiver Karl Dorrell with 565 receiving yards.
The 1985 Bruins were one of the most successful teams in school history. The Bruins also won their first bowl game since 1976. The 1985 UCLA team was a talented and well-coached team that made a lot of noise in the college football world that season and besides being Pac-10 and Rose Bowl champions, they outscored their opponents 363 to 214 that season.
Overall Record: 9-2-1
Conference Record: 6-2
Ranked: No. 7 in the AP Poll
UCLA under head coach Dick Vermeil, the Bruins finished tied for first place in the Pacific-8 Conference. The Bruins were led by quarterback John Sciarra, who was named the Pac-8 Offensive Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American. Sciarra finished the season with 2,537 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and only three interceptions. He also rushed for 290 yards and two touchdowns.
Other key contributors for the Bruins included running back Wendell Tyler, who rushed for 1,244 yards and 10 touchdowns, and linebacker Randy Cross, who was named the Pac-8 Defensive Player of the Year.
The 1975 UCLA Bruins football team was one of the most successful teams in school history. The Bruins also won their first bowl game since 1966, had a perfect record at home (5–0), outscored opponents 349 to 243, and upset No. 1 Ohio State to become Rose Bowl champions.
Overall Record: 9-2-1
Conference Record: 6-1
Ranked: No. 5 in the AP Poll
UCLA that season under head coach Terry Donahue, finished in a tie for first place in the Pacific-10 Conference. The team’s only losses were against No. 2 ranked Nebraska on the road where they lost by single digits and on the road against cross-town rival USC where they lost by only four points. The Bruins went on however to defeat No. 10 ranked Florida in the 1987 Aloha Bowl.
UCLA’s offensive leaders in that season were quarterback Troy Aikman with 2,527 passing yards and running back Gaston Green with 1,098 rushing yards. A strong argument can be made that the 1987 Bruins were one of the most talented teams in school history. They featured a number of future NFL players, including Aikman, Green, Flipper Anderson, and defensive back Kenny Easley. They were seen as unlucky that season, very similar to the 1998 team.
Overall Record: 10-2
Conference Record: 7-1
Ranked: No. 9 in the AP Poll
The UCLA team finished the regular season as the AAWU (Pac-8) conference champions. In the Rose Bowl game, UCLA upset top-ranked and undefeated Michigan State, who had beaten them in the season opener in September. The Bruins finished at 8–2–1, as the above-mentioned loss to the Spartans as well as a defeat on the road to No. 7 Tennessee by only three points. They also on the road tied Missouri at 14 points a piece.
The Bruins played well overall on the season having outscored their opponents 257 to 168. UCLA that season was led by quarterback Gary Beban, running back Mike Garrett, wide receiver Dick Witcher, and defensive back Mel Farr. This was also their first conference championship since 1954
Overall Record: 8-2-1
Conference Record: 4-1
Ranked: No. 4 in the AP Poll
The 1997 UCLA Bruins started the season 0-2 losing their season opener on the road to Washington State by only three points in a high-scoring game and then they lost to No. 3 ranked Tennessee by six points. However, they finished in a tie for first place in the Pac-10 with the Cougars who they lost to in their season opener, and played in the Cotton Bowl game where they defeated Texas A&M, 29–23.
The Bruins were led by quarterback Cade McNown, who was named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American. McNown finished the season with 3,481 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. He also rushed for 463 yards and three touchdowns.
Other key contributors for the Bruins included running back Skip Hicks, who rushed for 1,131 yards and 10 touchdowns, and wide receiver J.J. Stokes, who caught 60 passes for 1,011 yards and nine touchdowns.
The 1997 UCLA Bruins football team was one of the most successful teams in school history. They finished the season with a 10–2 record, their best since 1985, and they were ranked as high as fifth in the national polls. The Bruins also won their first bowl game since 1990.
Overall Record: 10-2
Conference Record: 7-1
Ranked: No. 5 in the AP Poll
UCLA in 1955 under head coach Sanders, finished in first place in the Pacific Coast Conference by winning all of their conference games, including a 17-7 victory at USC and a 21-13 road win at Stanford. In non-conference play, their only loss was to No. 7 Maryland on the road when they lost by a final score of 7-0. To finish the season, the Bruins lost to No. 2 ranked Michigan State in the Rose Bowl game by only three points.
Overall Record: 9-2
Conference Record: 6-0
Ranked: No. 4 in the AP Poll
The 1998 UCLA Bruins team went 10-2 and won the Pac-10 regular season championship by going undefeated in conference play. That season the Bruins defeated three top-25 ranked teams through their first five games of play defeating No. 23 Texas, No. 10 Arizona, and No. 11 Oregon. UCLA was supposed to play Miami (FL) in late September but the game was moved to December 5 due to Hurricane Georges. The Bruins were leading on the road 38-21 but lost by three points to deny them an opportunity of going to the Fiesta Bowl for the BCS National Championship game. In the Rose Bowl game, they lost by seven to No. 9 ranked Wisconsin to end their season. They were led by quarterback Cade McNown and running back Deshaun Foster.
Overall Record: 10-2
Conference Record: 8-0
Ranked: No. 8 in the AP Poll
The 1982 UCLA Bruins with their head coach Terry Donahue, finished in first place in the Pacific-10 Conference with their only loss being a three-point road loss to No. 10 Washington. That season UCLA in non-conference play went to Wisconsin and defeated the Badgers by 24 and then the following game went on the road to defeat No. 20 ranked Michigan. In conference play, the Bruins also defeated No. 15 USC and won at Cal by 16. In the Rose Bowl game, UCLA defeated Michigan by double digits defeating the Wolverines for the second time that season. The Bruins were led by quarterback Tom Ramsey, receiver Cormac Carney, and running back Danny Andrews.
Overall Record: 10-1-1
Conference Record: 5-1-1
Ranked: No. 5 in the AP Poll
The 1946 UCLA Bruins team went undefeated in the regular season winning the Pacific Coast Conference regular-season title. That season UCLA defeated No. 17 Stanford by 20 points and beat No. 10 USC by a final score of 13-6. The Bruins in 1946 had an outstanding defense that held their opponents to seven or fewer points in eight games that season. They ended their season by losing to Illinois in the 1947 Rose Bowl. They were led by quarterback Ernie Case and running back Cal Rossi.
Overall Record: 10-1
Conference Record: 7-0
Ranked: No. 4 in the AP Poll
The 1954 UCLA Bruins team went undefeated and untied, winning the national championship. That season in non-conference play, they went on the road and defeated Kansas by 25 points and the following game they beat No. 6 ranked Maryland. In conference play, UCLA defeated on the road Washington, Oregon State, and Cal. They ended conference play by defeating No. 7 USC by an impressive final score of 34-0. They were led by Bob Davenport, Jack Ellena, Jim Salsbury, and Primo Villaneva. This team may have played a long time ago but they deserve the number one ranking as they are the only team to have captured a national championship for UCLA in football.
Overall Record: 9-0
Conference Record: 6-0
Ranked: No. 1 in the Coaches Poll