UCLA record run among 5 things to watch as Bruins look to clinch Big Ten title-game berth

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A perfect 10-0. That’s what’s on the line Friday when UCLA’s storybook season flips the page into what could be another charmed chapter. A victory over Illinois at the Rose Bowl would give the four…

That’s what’s on the line Friday when UCLA’s storybook season flips the page into what could be another charmed chapter.

A victory over Illinois at the Rose Bowl would give the fourth-ranked Bruins only the third 10-0 start in school history. One must go back a generation or three to find the other instances.

Coach Bert LaBrucherie’s team won its first 10 games in 1946 before losing to Illinois in the Rose Bowl.

Coach Bob Toledo’s team enjoyed the same start in 1998 — extending the Bruins’ winning streak to a school-record 20 games — before losing to Miami in the infamous “Hurricane Bowl” that preceded another loss to Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

That’s the power of a team that has softened the accumulation of decades of misery.

UCLA (9-0 overall, 6-0 Big Ten) has already won more games than it had over the previous two seasons combined, making Bob Chesney the most coveted coach in college football as the Bruins surge toward the College Football Playoff.

“I think he’s the best at what he does, period,” Bruins offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy said. “I think it’s really his ability to deliver belief into other individuals on top of how he runs the program. … We walk into every game, no matter who we face, [thinking] that we’re going to win the game.”

“I mean, I think he’s got a lot of secret sauces, to be honest with you,” Kennedy said.

Here are five things to watch when the Bruins face the Fighting Illini (6-3, 4-2) in a game starting at 6 p.m. PST on Fox:

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