There was huge news that came out of Pasadena this morning when it was announced that UCLA's star quarterback Nico Iamaleava will miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury he suffered on Saturday. At first, there was no news about the severity of the injury, and some even thought it was small enough for him to return by the Wisconsin game. However, it's way more serious than made out to be initially. He's now down for the season.
That puts an upset bid for Wisconsin in a serious spot. Badger fans were always hopeful for the win in Southern California, and there's a lot of belief in this team early on, especially after a 4-1 start. With UCLA missing Iamaleava, the upset gets a little closer. Vegas agrees.
The oddsmakers immediately moved the line by two full points when the news was announced. From hovering around 4.5 to 2.5. The chances for UCLA dropped significantly without their main signal caller. Yet, don't put the cart before the horse because UCLA still beat the Oregon Ducks without him for a good chunk of the game on Saturday. And the recipe for the Bruins to beat the Badgers remains the same.
Line immediately moved to only 2.5 in favor of UCLA. https://t.co/C6aQNZCDcC
— Badger of Honor (@BadgerOfHonorFS) October 12, 2026
Wisconsin still has a fight on their hands against UCLA on Saturday even without Nico Iamaleava
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The Bruins basically beat the Ducks on Saturday without Nico Iamaleava, or, maybe better stated, in spite of Iamaleava. The Bruins' starting quarterback threw two interceptions and finished with a QBR of 17.6 (which is miserable). When Iamaleava was injured, the backup Ty Dieffenbach came in to finish the job, and he was much better, even in limited reps. He went 3/6 for 46 yards and a touchdown, finishing with a 35.6 QBR. He lost points because he was -15 yards rushing on the day.
The plan for UCLA to beat Wisconsin was never really about the quarterback (though they will need a competent one). The Bruins are 5-0 this season because of two things that Wisconsin knows well: Defense and running the football.
The Bruins held Oregon to 15 points and generated seven turnovers. Yes, you read that right: UCLA forced seven turnovers on the Ducks. In the last two games, only 18 points total have been scored on the Bruins.
On offense, it's all about rushing the football, and against Oregon, the Bruins had 140 total yards (counting even Dieffenbach's -15). The two main backs for UCLA averaged over 4 yards per carry, and Wayne Knight (the starter) had 103 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown.
UCLA is going to try to punch it down Wisconsin's throat, and the quarterback isn't the main game plan. They will certainly miss the veteran presence of Iamaleava, but Dieffenbach was the starting quarterback at Cal Poly last year and has many reps under center. He's not the same caliber as Iamaleava, but he's not green.
Yet, you have to like the chances even more for Wisconsin. It was already a game that Badger fans wanted to prove to the world that this team is for real, but now it is even more possible.
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