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 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.

It’s taken until this season for the Bruins to recover.

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.”

Is that Chesney’s secret sauce?

“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:

A possible clincher

There’s a scenario in which UCLA could clinch a berth in its first Big Ten title game this weekend.

It would take a lot, so bear with us.

The Bruins would need to beat the Illini, moving to 7-0 in conference games. Then if Indiana beats USC, it would eliminate the Trojans from contention.

Other games that would need to go UCLA’s way: Northwestern beating Ohio State, Maryland beating Wisconsin, Purdue beating Iowa and Michigan beating Oregon.

If all that happened, it would leave the Bruins and Hoosiers as the only Big Ten teams with fewer than three conference losses with only two games to go.

The running man

Another Bruin making history this season is Wayne Knight.

The running back has a touchdown in all nine games, making him the first player from the school to do so — not counting passing touchdowns — since College Football Hall of Famer Paul Cameron in 1953.

If Knight scores against Illinois, he would break the school record with at least one touchdown in 10 straight games. He leads the Big Ten’s best run game, which is averaging 213.2 yards on the ground.

Fit to be Ty

UCLA’s Ty Dieffenbach has gone from backup quarterback to big man on campus.

He was selected the Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for a career-high 303 yards against Minnesota and received even more meaningful praise from a wildly successful former coach.

“There’s some traits in there that make this guy look like he’s a future NFL quarterback,” Urban Meyer, who guided Florida and Ohio State to national championships, said on the Big Ten Network.

Chesney said he liked Dieffenbach’s ability to pull the ball on non-quarterback run calls last weekend and “make something happen.” Dieffenbach ran six times for 27 yards — including an 18-yard gain — and might just be finding his footing as a major college quarterback.

“There’s a lot of upside left,” Chesney said.

The fight in the Illini

Illinois has won four consecutive games, giving it the second-longest winning streak in the Big Ten — behind only UCLA’s nine straight wins.

A big reason is star wide receiver Collin Dixon, one of only four players in the nation to rank in the top 10 in receptions (68), receiving yards (910) and receiving touchdowns (12).

“He’s a big kid, he’s strong, he’s explosive, his routes are as clean as can be,” Chesney said of the 6-foot-1, 215-pound standout. “He is special, as special can be.”

Injury report

UCLA will have at least one hole to fill on the offensive line with tackle Hall Schmidt listed as out on the Big Ten availability report.

Center Riley Robell, who was also hurt last week against Minnesota, is listed as questionable.

In better news for the Bruins, they appear on track to get back left tackle Jordan Davis and cornerback Rodrick Pleasant, each of whom has missed the last four games.

Illinois will be without running backs Ca’lil Valentine (225 yards and one touchdown in five games) and Javari Barnett (185 yards and two touchdowns in six games), as well as cornerback Tywan Cox, who started two games.