Penn State and UCLA will face off in football on Saturday, marking their first meeting since 1968, a time when Lyndon B. Johnson was President of the United States and Joe Paterno was in his third season as head coach of the Nittany Lions. In that last encounter, Penn State triumphed over UCLA 21-7 in Los Angeles. Interestingly, those six games between the teams were played consecutively over six years, but they have not faced each other since.
As both teams are now part of the same conference, fans can expect more matchups in the future. This initial clash as conference rivals has generated considerable anticipation.
Details for the game are as follows:
– Date: Saturday, October 5
– Time: Noon ET
– Location: Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
– TV: Fox
– Live stream: fubo (available for free trial)
This game is particularly significant for UCLA, as it marks the first time the team has played a football game in the Eastern Time Zone since 2014. The last such game was an opener against Virginia in Charlottesville, which the Bruins won 28-20. Following this game, UCLA will return home to face Minnesota next week, and they will play Rutgers in the Eastern Time Zone two weeks from now.
For Penn State, this marks their fourth consecutive season starting with a 4-0 record, a feat that has become routine for the program. Their strong start has often set the stage for higher expectations, especially in matchups against elite teams like Ohio State and Michigan.
The Nittany Lions have also shown dominance against unranked opponents, boasting a 24-game winning streak against such teams. This streak began in the 2021 season after a dramatic nine-overtime loss to Illinois, with Penn State recently avenging that loss by defeating a ranked Illinois team 21-7.
In terms of predictions, UCLA has struggled since joining the Big Ten, having lost both their games thus far by significant margins, allowing at least 34 points in each. With this matchup being on the road against a strong Penn State team, expectations for UCLA are low. The prediction favors Penn State to win by a significant margin.