After blowing out Nebraska in Lincoln, UCLA moved up three spots to No. 13 in the Associated Press poll.

The last time the Bruins were ranked higher? Sept. 9, 2007, when a 27-17 win against BYU bumped the Bruins up to No. 11. Karl Dorrell’s squad unraveled the following week, being blown out at Utah, 44-6. Despite preseason hype, UCLA finished with a 6-7 record that ended with a 17-16 loss in the Las Vegas Bowl — a rematch against the Cougars.

(Note: Eathyn Manumaleuna, credited with the game-winning field goal block, is incredibly still on BYU’s roster this season.)

Jim Mora’s team looks too good and too well-coached to suffer a similar collapse, but its October visit to Salt Lake CIty may still be a bit of a trap before the brutal back-to-back at Stanford and Oregon. Continue reading “UCLA earns highest AP poll ranking since 2007” »