Honestly, if you just glance at the final ucla football record 2024, you’d probably shrug and move on. 5-7. It looks like a standard, mediocre rebuilding year under a first-time head coach. But if you actually sat through the games at the Rose Bowl or stayed up for those late-night Big Ten kicks, you know that number doesn’t even come close to telling the whole story.
It was a weird, grueling, and at times surprisingly hopeful season.
This was UCLA’s "Welcome to the Big Ten" moment. They traded the sunny, familiar confines of the Pac-12 for 9:00 AM kickoffs in Pennsylvania and frigid Friday nights in Washington. Throw in a coaching change from Chip Kelly to DeShaun Foster just months before the season started, and you had a recipe for total chaos. Yet, the Bruins somehow managed to stay relevant until the final weeks of November.
Breaking Down the ucla football record 2024
The Bruins finished the year 5-7 overall and 3-6 in Big Ten play.
On paper, missing a bowl game is a failure. No way around that. But look at the context: they played one of the most brutal schedules in the entire country. We’re talking about a stretch where they had to face Indiana, LSU, Oregon, and Penn State—all top-tier programs—back-to-back-to-back-to-back.
The season basically broke into three distinct acts:
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- The Rocky Start: A narrow win over Hawaii followed by a crushing five-game losing streak.
- The Resurgence: A three-game winning streak in October and November that had fans dreaming of a bowl game.
- The Fade: Losing to Washington and USC before salvaging a bit of pride against Fresno State.
Act I: The Big Ten Buzzkill
The transition was harsh. After squeaking past Hawaii 16-13, the Bruins got a rude awakening against Indiana at the Rose Bowl. That 42-13 loss was the moment everyone realized the Big Ten wasn't going to be a walk in the park.
They then went on the road to Death Valley to face LSU (L 17-34), came home for Oregon (L 13-34), and flew across the country to Penn State (L 11-27). By the time they lost a heartbreaker to Minnesota 17-21, they were 1-5. People were already calling for the season to be over.
Act II: "The Foster Flurry"
This is where it gets interesting. Most teams would have quit. Instead, DeShaun Foster’s group went on the road and beat Rutgers 35-32 in a shootout. Then they went into Lincoln and stunned Nebraska 27-20. Suddenly, the ucla football record 2024 didn't look so dead.
The peak of the season was undoubtedly the 20-17 win over Iowa under the Friday night lights. The defense, led by coordinator Ikaika Malloe, was playing out of its mind. They were stopping the run, forcing turnovers, and giving Ethan Garbers enough time to find his rhythm.
Act III: The Victory Bell Heartache
To make a bowl, UCLA needed two wins in their final three games. They went to Seattle and got handled by Washington 31-19. That set up a "must-win" against USC for the Victory Bell.
It was a defensive slugfest. 19-13. That was the final score. UCLA's offense just couldn't punch it in when it mattered, and the loss officially knocked them out of bowl contention. They finished the year beating Fresno State 20-13, a hollow victory that got them to five wins but left them one short of the postseason.
The Stat Sheet: What Went Right (and Very Wrong)
If you want to know why they didn't win more, look at the offensive production. Or the lack thereof.
UCLA averaged a meager 18.4 points per game. That ranked 126th out of 134 FBS teams. You just can't win in a power conference when you're scoring fewer than 20 points a night. The running game, usually a Bruin staple, was non-existent for half the year, averaging only 86.6 yards per game.
Ethan Garbers was the engine. He threw for 2,727 yards and 16 touchdowns, but he was often running for his life behind an offensive line that struggled with the sheer size of Big Ten defensive fronts.
On the flip side, the defense was legit. They only gave up about 25 points per game despite being on the field constantly because the offense couldn't sustain drives. They were 14th in the nation in rushing defense for a significant portion of the season, which is kind of wild considering the teams they played.
The "What If" Factor
Most people forget how close this team was to a 7-5 or 8-4 record.
- The Minnesota game was a 4-point loss.
- The USC game was a 6-point loss.
- The Washington game was competitive until the fourth quarter.
If Eric Bieniemy’s "West Coast" offense had clicked just two weeks earlier, we’d be talking about a very different season. Foster proved he could lead—the team clearly played hard for him—but the talent gap on the lines was evident.
Looking Ahead: The 2026 Shift
As we move into 2026, the ucla football record 2024 serves as the baseline. The program has already seen massive turnover. DeShaun Foster is out, and Bob Chesney has taken the reins.
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Chesney is bringing in a whole new staff, including defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler and offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy. The goal is simple: fix the scoring problem. They’ve already started hitting the portal hard to beef up the offensive line.
Actionable Insights for Bruin Fans
- Track the O-Line: The 2024 season proved that Big Ten games are won in the trenches. Watch the 2026 spring ball reports specifically for news on the interior line transfers.
- Don't Overlook the Schedule: The Big Ten isn't getting easier. UCLA has to find wins in the "middle class" of the conference (teams like Rutgers, Nebraska, and Northwestern) because the Oregons and Penn States of the world are currently on a different level.
- Watch the Red Zone: UCLA’s biggest 2024 failure was red zone efficiency. In 2026, success won't be measured by total yards, but by points per trip inside the 20. If that doesn't improve, the record won't either.
Keep an eye on the transfer portal window this spring. The 2024 record was a lesson in depth; 2026 will be the test of whether the program actually learned it.