Fox broadcaster blasts College Football Playoff committee for neglecting UCLA’s perfect mark
Right before Ty Dieffenbach took the final knee in UCLA’s 34-20 victory on the road against Minnesota on Saturday, Fox broadcaster Joel Klatt took a shot at the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
“Let’s hope the committee watched this game. I don’t think the committee has watched a ton of football based on the rankings they gave us on Tuesday night. This team should definitely move up,” Klatt said during the final seconds of the fourth quarter.
UCLA’s Cinderella run continues to shine this season. The Bruins are now 9-0 for the first time since 1998, when Bob Toledo coached the team.
The Bruins are one of three teams in the Top 25 to be undefeated this season, with No. 1 Miami (before Saturday’s game vs. Notre Dame) leading the way and No. 3 Utah in front of them.
Ahead of Saturday’s action, there were three one-loss teams in the Top 25 (No. 2 Georgia, No. 4 Indiana, No. 6 Kentucky) and two multiple-loss teams (No. 7 Texas and No. 5 Alabama) ahead of UCLA.
Saturday’s win against Minnesota was another statement victory for Bruins coach Bob Chesney’s team. The Bruins had 466 yards of total offense, rushing for 163 and led by Wayne Knight, who had 18 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown.
Dieffenbach completed 8 of 16 passes for 303 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, while taking only one sack.
UCLA’s defense held the Golden Gophers under 100 yards on the ground and committed two turnovers, including an interception by Scooter Jackson at the 7:17 mark of the fourth quarter. That was followed by a 36-yard field goal by Mateen Bhaghani with 3:22 left.
While the CFP committee can keep UCLA out of the top five, it can only last for so long.
UCLA has three regular-season games left, including a road game at “The Big House” against Michigan on Nov. 21 and two more home games against Illinois (on Friday) and USC (Nov. 28) to close out its regular season.