The Bruins are #12 in this year's preseason AP poll. In the computer polls, they're ranked #9 by Bart Torvik (BT), #12 by Evan Miya (EM), and #10 by Ken Pomeroy (KP).
While past performance does not guarantee future results, there's no harm in looking at how UCLA's end of season rankings over the last five years compare to where they started.
2020/21
AP preseason #22, end of season Not Ranked (NR)
BT preseason #35, end of season #18
EM preseason Not Available (NA), end of season #21
KP preseason #29, end of season #13
2021/22
AP pre #2, end #11
BT pre #2, end #10
EM pre NA, end #15
KP pre #7, end #11
2022/23
AP pre #8, end #7
BT pre #9, end #4
EM pre NA, end #4
KP pre #11, end #3
2023/24
AP pre NR, end NR
BT pre #28, end #88
EM pre NA, end #93
KP pre #26, end #98
2024/25
AP pre #22, end NR
BT pre #25, end #18
EM pre NA, end #23
KP pre #28, end #20
Out of 14 times UCLA was ranked in the preseason by AP or the computers, they ended up ranked higher at the end of the season 7 times.
If you just consider the computer rankings from Torvik and Pomeroy, they were ranked higher at the end of the season 6 out of 10 times, or 3 out of 5 seasons, so not much better than 50/50.
However, one of those seasons was 21/22, when they started the season ranked #2 or #7, and ended up #10 or #11.
Earlier this summer, I said I expected UCLA to be ranked in the top-10 based on the points added by Dent, so they're pretty much where I thought they'd be.
Having seen Jamar Brown play, and the apparent improvement by Trent Perry, if Bilodeau and Dailey can handle their shifts to the 4 and 3, respectively, and Booker and Jamerson are effective at the 5, the top-5 could be in reach.