By the looks of it, Bob Chesney is well on his way to fixing the fixer-upper he acquired when UCLA hired him.
asserted
UCLA → fix → him
The No. 12 Bruins have their highest ranking in four years, reached midseason as one of nine unbeaten Football Bowl Subdivision teams and are tied with No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana at 3-0 in Big Ten play.
asserted
Bruins → have → play
Not bad for a team that was picked to finish 13th in the 18-team Big Ten and was 8-16 overall and 6-12 in conference games the previous two years under Deshaun Foster and Tim Skipper.
asserted
that → pick → Foster
For their accomplishments so far, Chesney was named the Big Ten’s top coach and UCLA the most surprising team at the midway point of the season by a vote of Associated Press writers who cover the conference.
asserted
who → name → conference
Chesney, who led James Madison to a 21-6 record over two years and a spot in last season’s College Football Playoff, inherited a mess when he was hired last December.
asserted
he → lead → mess
There was the predictable roster churn that comes with a new coaching hire, but Chesney got a big win when starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, now injured, decided to stay.
asserted
Iamaleava → be → win
A Big Ten-high 46 transfers, including 11 from James Madison, and 17 freshmen joined the Bruins.
asserted
transfers → include → Bruins
A major infusion of donor cash for name, image and likeness spending has helped, but the athletic department as a whole was a financial wreck.
asserted
department → help → whole
Five days before the Bruins’ opener, chancellor Julio Frenk fired athletic director Martin Jarmond, the man who hired Chesney.
asserted
who → fire → Chesney
Chesney is the first football coach in UCLA history to start his debut season 5-0.
asserted
Chesney → start → season
The Bruins lead the Big Ten with 253 yards rushing per game and Wayne Knight, one of the James Madison transfers, is first in the conference with 109.6 yards per game.
asserted
Knight → lead → game
He has excelled for the Wildcats after playing one year at Oregon State and two at Michigan State, where he got benched after eight games last season.
asserted
he → excel → games
Chiles has led Northwestern to a 4-1 start, completing 71.4% of his passes for 234.4 yards per game with nine touchdowns and no interceptions.
asserted
Chiles → lead → touchdowns
He was the unanimous choice for this award as he puts together what looks destined to be one of the best individual seasons in program history.
asserted
what → put → history
He has gone over 150 yards in four of six games, including two over 200 yards.
asserted
He → go → yards
Top first-year transfer
Indiana’s Josh Hoover is third in a line of one-year quarterback transfers signed by Curt Cignetti.
asserted
Hoover → sign → Cignetti
Hoover has 17 touchdown passes and no interceptions for the defending national champion Hoosiers.
asserted
Hoover → have → Hoosiers
He threw 33 interceptions in 35 games his previous three seasons at TCU.
asserted
He → throw → TCU
Top defensive player
Indiana edge Tobi Osunsanmi, who transferred from Kansas State after missing the second half of last season because of injury.
asserted
who → transfer → injury
He leads the Big Ten with 9.5 tackles for loss and is tied for first with teammate Stephen Daley and Oregon’s Matayo Uiagalelei with five sacks.
asserted
He → lead → sacks
He has lived up to his billing as a five-star recruit and No. 1 prospect in the nation by On3/Rivals.
asserted
He → live → Rivals
Wafle has 27 tackles, six for loss and two sacks, and is among the Trojans’ highest-graded defenders by Pro Football Focus.
asserted
Wafle → have → Focus
He’s missed just two tackles on 264 snaps.
asserted
He → miss → snaps
Most disappointing team
Oregon edged Michigan for this dubious distinction.
asserted
Oregon → edge → distinction
The Ducks brought in a highly regarded class of transfers to go with 14 returning starters, including a quarterback projected to be one of the first players taken in the 2027 NFL draft.
asserted
Ducks → bring → draft
They beat Southern California on the road with backup Dylan Raiola at quarterback for most of the game, but last week’s 17-15 home loss to UCLA dropped the Ducks to 3-2 and out of the Top 25.
asserted
loss → beat → Top
Maryland’s Mike Locksley has managed to survive seven mostly underwhelming seasons, but this year’s could be the worst.
uncertain
year → manage → seasons
The Terrapins have two wins, and one was against a second-tier Championship Subdivision opponent.
asserted
one → have → opponent
If they don’t beat Rutgers at home as a 6.5-point favorite this week, they might not win another game.
uncertain
they → beat → game
Oregon’s Dante Moore was on the receiving end of linebacker Desman Stephens II’s illegal hit to the head and chest, knocking him out in the second quarter against USC on Sept. 26.
asserted
Moore → knock → Sept.
Moore threw for 30 touchdowns while leading the Ducks to the College Football Playoff semifinals last year, and they had pinned their hopes on him as they chased the program’s first national championship.
asserted
they → throw → championship
Moore missed the UCLA game, and his status hadn’t been determined for this week’s game against Nebraska.
asserted
status → miss → Nebraska
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AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham, Dave Campbell, Larry Lage, Mike Marot, Steve Megargee, Eric Olson, Anne M. Peterson and Joe Reedy contributed.
___
asserted
Beacham → contribute → ?
The Aporia
