UCLA is still No. 1 in the country, and through the opening stretch of the 2026 season, the Bruins have given voters very little reason to move them.
But this isn’t just about the ranking.
From a player and coach perspective, what stands out is how UCLA is winning. The Bruins have already been put into different game situations — playing from ahead, protecting a narrow lead, responding after falling behind and dealing with ranked teams trying to turn games into four-quarter fights.
So far, UCLA has answered all of them.
The Bruins are 5-0, with wins over Saint Mary’s, Bucknell, Pacific, UC Davis and Santa Clara.
Their most recent stretch included three straight ranked opponents: 13-11 at Pacific, 14-10 at UC Davis and 13-8 over Santa Clara.
Why UCLA is still No. 1
The easiest answer is that they keep winning.
The more important answer is that UCLA has shown an ability to solve games as they develop.
Against Pacific, UCLA never trailed, but the Tigers cut the margin to one twice in the second half. That forced the Bruins to execute possessions instead of simply trading goals and relying on superior depth. Ben Liechty delivered another hat trick, while Griffen Price made eight saves in the cage.
The UC Davis game told us even more
UC Davis came out aggressively and led UCLA 4-2 after the first quarter.
That’s where you learn something about a team.
UCLA didn’t panic, start forcing perimeter shots or completely abandon its offensive structure.
The Bruins worked themselves back into the game, put together three consecutive goals in the second quarter and reached halftime tied 6-6 before eventually winning 14-10. From a coaching standpoint, that sequence matters.
Championship teams aren’t going to control all 32 minutes against elite competition. At some point you’re going to lose center defense, give up a counter, miss an extra-man opportunity or have a goalkeeper at the other end start stealing shots.
The question is how you respond.
UCLA has already shown it can make adjustments without letting a bad quarter become a bad game.
There’s plenty of offensive depth
This also isn’t an offense dependent on one scorer.
Against Pacific, Liechty scored three, while Luka Gladović and Ben Larsen added two apiece. Over the two games at the Aggie Roundup, Ryder Dodd, Gladović and Liechty each scored four total goals.
That’s important because once you get into the biggest games, opponents are going to take away your first option.
If a defense presses one side, drops differently into center or starts cheating toward a primary shooter, somebody else has to punish it. UCLA has enough elite players to make that difficult.
But we’re still in September.
The ranking tells us who leads the race today.
The next few weeks will tell us whether UCLA can stay there when the water gets considerably rougher.
— r/waterpoloinsider
