Penn State Nittany Lions vs UCLA Bruins Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/04/2025

Game Time: 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 4, 2025

Venue:  Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  PSU -24.5, UCLA +24.5; Over/Under:  49.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  PSU -25, UCLA +25; Over/Under:  50 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  PSU -25.5, UCLA +25.5; Over/Under:  50.5 points

Penn State Nittany Lions:  3-1 (0-1) (13th place, Big Ten)

UCLA Bruins:  0-4 (0-1) (18th place, Big Ten)

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Penn State Nittany Lions:  lost their last game at home against the Oregon Ducks 30-24 in overtime. 

UCLA Bruins:  lost their last game on the road against the Northwestern Wildcats 17-14.

Penn State is entering this game with a 3-1 record overall and they have a 0-1 record in their conference games too. They are 3-1 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They lost their last game against Oregon 30-24 in OT. Drew Allar was the starting QB and he completed 14/25 passes for 137 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Kaytron Allen led the team in rushing yards with 54 and 2 TDs. Devonte Ross led the receivers with 48 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. Amare Campbell led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 7 assisted tackles while no one on the defense recorded a sack for them. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

UCLA is entering this game with a 0-4 record overall and they have a 0-1 record in their conference games too. They are 0-2 in their home games, 0-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against Northwestern 17-14. Nico Iamaleava was the starting QB and he completed 19/27 passes for 180 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Nico Iamaleava led the team in rushing yards with 65. Kwazi Gilmer led the receivers with 51 receiving yards on 3 receptions and 1 TD. JonJon Vaughns led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 7 assisted tackles while Gary Smith III, Jalen Woods, A.J. Fuimaono, and Anthony Jones each led the defense in sacks with 0.5. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Penn State listed as a 24.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Penn State has looked good in their games this season with their 3-1 record overall, but their 0-1 conference record has them lower in the Big Ten to start the season. They haven't played any good opponents except for 1, and that was the game they lost to Oregon in their own house. They lost at home 30-24 and forced that game to OT, but looked terrible for most of that game and never really looked like a team that could win the game. Now they are playing with something to prove though and they have a chance to quiet some of the narrative with a better performance in this road game. Meanwhile, UCLA has looked terrible in their games this season with their 0-4 record overall and their 0-1 conference record which has them right at the bottom of the Big Ten. UCLA has already fired their head coach for the season and they have been a complete disaster. They have had no offense in any of their games and their defense hasn't looked good whether they are playing good offenses or not. They have lost both home games this season too and they don't have the talent to threaten this Penn State defense. Penn State was terrible on offense again Oregon, but they will be looking to bounce back here and will have a much easier time moving the ball against this UCLA defense. Penn State also has one of the best defenses in the nation still so they are going to shut down this UCLA offense. The best way to place a bet here is on Penn State to cover the spread in this game. 

Penn State UCLA Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 4, 2025 (3:30 pm ET start time) is Penn State 42 UCLA 3.

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Penn State Nittany Lions: 6-2 ATS as a road favorite. 20-11 ATS after 3 or more consecutive losses against the spread. 28-15 ATS vs. bad defensive teams who give up 31 or more points/game. 24-16 UNDER off an upset loss as a favorite. 19-11 UNDER vs. poor passing defenses - allowing 8 or more passing yards/att.

UCLA Bruins: 4-10 ATS in home lined games. 2-7 ATS when the total is between 49.5 and 56. 22-31 ATS versus good defensive teams - allowing 4.5 yards/play or less. 21-8 UNDER in all lined games. 8-1 UNDER when the total is between 49.5 and 56. 14-5 UNDER against conference opponents.

Penn State Nittany Lions:  K. Saunders (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Jackson (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. L. Samuel (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Mayer (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. P. Gonzalez (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Nastasi (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. L. Horan (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. O'Hara (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Artis (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Robinson (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Granville (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. Kritza (QB) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Brown (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Williams (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed.

UCLA Bruins:  G. Buckey (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. T. Partlow (DL) Out - Undisclosed. K. Arnold (OG) Out - Undisclosed. J. Jeffers (OG) Out - Undisclosed. K. Gordon (QB) Out - Undisclosed.

"I get that narrative, and it's really not a narrative -- it's factual. It's the facts. I try to look at the entire picture and what we've been able to do here. But at the end of the day, we got to find a way to win those games. I totally get it. And I take ownership. I take responsibility." - James Franklin after his team’s loss against Oregon in their last game.

“I think that's the same thing every week, man. We're rallying back, you know, second half every game. And the message in the room is to start fast, and we're not doing that at a high level.” - Nico Iamaleava after their loss against NW in their last game. 

WR Hudson, Kyron 

WR Ross, Devonte

WR Peña, Trebor 

TE Dinkins, Khalil 

QB Allar, Drew

RB Singleton, Nicholas

WR Gilmer, Kwazi

WR Mokiao-Atimalala, Titus

WR Matthews, Mikey

TE Pedersen, Jack

QB Iamaleava, Nico

RB Berger, Jalen

Passing: Drew Allar (763)

Rushing: Kaytron Allen (327)

Receiving: Trebor Pena (182)

Touchdowns: Nicholas Singleton (5)

Passing: Nico Iamaleava (788)

Rushing: Nico Iamaleava (204)

Receiving: Kwazi Gilmer (225)

Touchdowns: Kwazi Gilmer (1)

Coaches:

Penn State Nittany Lions: James Franklin (12th season)

UCLA Bruins: Tim Skipper (Interim)