Potential New Big Ten Rivalries for UCLA
UCLA enters its third year in the Big Ten this season, and the Bruins have had their share of struggles in the conference, particularly on the football field.
It can be hard to move to a new conference and succeed right away, and one way to do so is to add extra motivation. Nothing adds motivation to a matchup more than rivalries. UCLA carries existing rivalries against former PAC-12 foes USC and Oregon, but as they continue to adapt to the conference, it wouldn't hurt to add another.
Here are a few good candidates.
Washington Huskies
The last former PAC-12 team in the Big Ten would make perfect sense. Yes, they're technically rivals from their years in the old conference, but this one never really took off as the USC-Oregon matchups did. What better time to take it to the next level than now, when the Bruins have a new football coach and the landscape of college sports continues its constant shifts?
Both have had success in football and basketball, but are pretty clearly on opposite ends of the spectrum in both sports these days. Washington is coming off a 9-4 season, while UCLA's recent struggles on the gridiron are well-documented. Meanwhile, UCLA has made back-to-back NCAA basketball tournaments, while Washington has hovered below .500. Still, the geographic proximity and previous conference ties make this a no-brainer.
Michigan Wolverines
This rivalry would tie together one of the old classic Rose Bowl matchups and two of the Big Ten's top academic institutions. The games haven't been particularly close lately, but the similarities and nostalgia make it an intriguing draw. Plus, there's an added element of transfers between the schools.
Basketball center Aday Mara was the most recent significant mover, leaving the Bruins for the Wolverines last summer. New UCLA wide receiver Semaj Morgan also transferred from Michigan this spring.
Michigan State Spartans
This is another nostalgic Big Ten - PAC-12 Rose Bowl-type rivalry, with the Bruins notably knocking off an unbeaten Spartans' squad in the 1966 edition of the game. They've only played each other in football three times since then, with UCLA winning all three. Plus, both teams have new head football coaches in 2026 and will inevitably compare their successes.
Former Spartan Xavier Booker is also now one of UCLA's most significant basketball players, and head coach Mick Cronin and MSU head coach Tom Izzo have a respectful relationship in coaching circles, fueled by competition. UCLA also upset the Spartans in the Big Ten Basketball Tournament.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
This rivalry could spread across many sports, and the teams share the commonality of being expansion teams in the conference. And in Nebraska's early Big Ten days, it played UCLA as a nonconference opponent somewhat often. Now that they're both in the same conference, it's the perfect time to resume.
We've covered plenty about the UCLA football and basketball programs, and Nebraska has had similar struggles in both after boasting a proud football program for decades. Yet. Nebraska is one of the few Big Ten member schools that can carry this kind of rivalry into non-revenue sports like baseball, softball, wrestling, and gymnastics, where both UCLA and Nebraska have built successful programs.
Northwestern Wildcats
UCLA and Northwestern are far apart, but this makes too much sense academically not to pair the two. They've often had close battles on the football field and the basketball court, despite struggling in the Big Ten overall. For both schools, the basketball team has tended to be much better than the football team.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as Potential New Big Ten Rivalries for UCLA.
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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 3:00 AM.