Coaches No. 1 1954 record 9–0 (6–0 PCC) Offensive scheme Single wing | AP No. 2 Head coach Red Sanders (6th year) | |
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The 1954 UCLA Bruins football team represented the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the 1954 college football season. They played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and were coached by Henry Russell Sanders. It was Sanders' sixth season as the UCLA head coach. The Bruins finished 9–0 overall, and were Pacific Coast Conference Champions with a 6–0 record. The Bruins compiled 367 points against their opponents in nine games, and allowed only 40 points. The Bruins were not eligible to play in the Rose Bowl vs. Ohio State because of the "no repeat" rule in effect at the time. No team was allowed to participate in consecutive Rose Bowl games, and since UCLA had played in the 1954 Rose Bowl, they were excluded from the 1955 event. USC competed in the Rose Bowl instead, losing to Ohio State. Following the outcome, UCLA and Ohio State split the national championship since UCLA was ranked #1 by the UPI Coaches Poll and Ohio State was ranked #1 by the AP Poll.
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The Bruins finished the 1953 regular season with a 9–1 overall record, and won the Pacific Coast Conference with a 6–1 record. Their only loss on the season came at Stanford, where they lost 20–21. UCLA participated in the 1954 Rose Bowl, losing to the #5 Michigan State Spartans 20–28.