UCLA passes Notre Dame and Ohio State in the new US LBM Coaches Poll

It’s a new week, a new month and a new spot in the USA TODAY Sports US LBM Coaches Poll for the UCLA Bruins. UCLA climbed to No. 5 in this week’s ranking after their 27-0 win over Nevada on Saturday.

It was another dominant showing for the UCLA defense but the UCLA offense looked like a group being led by a backup quarterback. Nevada was unable to move the ball against the Bruins but Ty Dieffenbach and the offense struggled for much of the game too.

The offense’s struggles didn’t deter voters, but it is worth not noting that UCLA received a first place vote last week but did not get one this week. UCLA surpassed Ohio State and Notre Dame to get to the No. 5 spot this week.

Miami (FL) seems to have a pretty firm grip on the No. 1 spot, with Georgia, Indiana, Utah and the Bruins rounding out the top-five. No UCLA fans want to see USC succeed but the Trojans’ win over Ohio State gives every other Big Ten school a conference loss except for UCLA, making a conference championship game a real possibility for Bob Chesney and the Bruins.

The Big Ten has Indiana at No. 3, UCLA at No. 5, Ohio State at No. 10, USC at No. 17, Iowa at No. 20 and Northwestern at No. 23. Oregon, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Minnesota all received votes, as the Big Ten got a lot of love in this week’s Coaches Poll.