Illinois' 4-game surge meets No. 4 UCLA's unbeaten run in a Rose Bowl showdown

PASADENA, Calif. — One of the Big Ten's two longest winning streaks is about to be snapped.

Illinois, winners of four in a row, visits undefeated and fourth-ranked UCLA on Friday night at the Rose Bowl.

The Fighting Illini (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) began the season 2-3 before reeling off wins against Michigan State in overtime, Oregon, Maryland and Nebraska.

The Bruins (9-0, 6-0) are one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the country, along with No. 2 Utah. They were eighth in the initial College Football Playoff rankings and moved up to fourth this week.

"For us, it's just one week at a time, but it's been months in the process,” first-year coach Bob Chesney said. “I don’t want any of them to listen to anybody tell them what’s possible or not possible. We’re going to control our own destiny.”

A year after winning just three games, the Bruins are seeking the third 10-0 start in program history and first since 1998, the year of the school's last conference championship. The Bruins are 10-point favorites. The all-time series between the schools is tied 6-6.

“This is a very confident football team we’re playing. They’ve had nothing but great results,” Illini coach Bret Bielema said. “What we got to do is understand the moment we’re in. We got to do the things that we do well.”

Perfect QB

UCLA quarterback Ty Dieffenbach has gone from third-stringer to 4-0 as the starter. He threw for a career-high 303 yards and three TDs in his first road start at Minnesota last weekend. The senior also threw a TD pass on three straight attempts in the second half, when the Bruins rallied to win.

“I’m impressed with how quickly he can move on from things,” Chesney said. “What happened previously doesn’t affect his next.”

Dieffenbach became the first FBS player in the last 30 years to throw for at least 300 yards on eight completions or fewer.

“There's a lot of upside left,” Chesney said. “It’s a strong example of you never know when it’s going to be your moment.”

Injuries

Illini running back Javari Barnett is done for the season after a serious lower leg injury against Nebraska. He had surgery last Sunday. Backup quarterback Michael Clayton II is sidelined with a bone bruise in his hand. The Bruins will be without starting right tackle Hall Schmidt, wide receiver Jalen Saint Paul, defensive lineman Ashton Sanders and edge rusher Ryan McCulloch.

Rose Bowl memories

Illinois is making its first trip to Pasadena since the 2008 Rose Bowl game, a 49-17 loss to Southern California. The last time the Illini played UCLA in a regular-season game at the historic stadium was a 6-3 loss in 2003.

Bielema has a personal record of 0-3 in the Rose Bowl game. As a walk-on at Iowa, he played in the 1991 game when the Hawkeyes were beaten by Washington, 46-34. As a head coach, he went 0-2 with Wisconsin in the 2011 and 2012 editions of the Granddaddy of Them All.

Last week, Illinois hosted Dads Day against Nebraska. Bielema wore his 1991 Rose Bowl watch all week in tribute to his father, who had worn the watch for 36 years before his death.

He planned to show his players a video from the 1991 game.

“I’m making a really big deal about playing in the Rose Bowl and how awesome this is and not many people get to do this,” he said. “There’s so much history, but on the same account, I’m going to tell them this doesn’t have anything to do with 1991, doesn’t have anything to do with 2011. It has to do with you vs. UCLA.”

Odds and ends

Illinois is holding opponents to 19.3 points per game during its winning streak. ... Illinois is 7-5 against ranked opponents since 2024. The Illini were underdogs in all seven of those wins. ... UCLA RB Wayne Knight has scored a touchdown in all nine games so far and his next one would set a program record. ... Bruins LB Sammy Omosigho is tied for the FBS lead with five forced fumbles and leads his team with 10 1/2 tackles for loss and 5 1/2 sacks. ... Illinois has beaten at least one ranked team in three straight seasons.