Over the past several seasons, the UCLA Bruins have fallen so far as a program they've almost become irrelevant in the College Football landscape. As the Bruins are off to an 0-2 start to the season it appears that all of the buzz around Nico Iamaleava joining the program won't account to anything positive for DeShaun Foster's program.
If you need any proof that UCLA is no longer relevant, their fanbase showed everyone that it's the case as the Rose Bowl was empty on Friday Night.
The view of the Rose Bowl crowd during the national anthem as the winless UCLA football team gets ready to take on New Mexico in week three action. pic.twitter.com/I32DMTCWnZ
— Benjamin Royer (@thebenroyer) September 13, 2025
When the team took the field, they showed the fanbase that they had every reason not to show up, as they looked undisciplined and inferior to New Mexico. The Lobos got whatever they wanted running the football, picking up 128 yards on the ground, allowing them to take a 14-7 lead into halftime, which would've been bigger if they converted on a 4th and 1 inside the 10-yard line.
As the UCLA Bruins struggled to slow the New Mexico Lobos they instantly became the butt of the joke for anyone to watch the game. As New Mexico looked like the more talented team, RedditCFB joked that the Bruins are exploring a move to the Big Sky a Conference in the FCS.
Things have gotten so bad for UCLA that even the Big Sky is having fun at their expense as they hilariously responded to the joke with "No thank you".
No thank you https://t.co/2NoDvyCKCV
— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) September 13, 2025
Last season, UCLA showed a ton of promise down the stretch, but this season it appears they're back to the team that everyone watched struggle at the beginning of 2025. If the Bruins are ever going to be relevant in the Big Ten, the program is going to need to overhaul everything, as it's clear they're not talented enough to beat most teams in their league and even some smaller schools.
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