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College GameDay podcast predicts outcome of Penn State at UCLA

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh10/03/25griffin_mcveigh
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Penn State head coach James Franklin. (Photo: Steve Manuel/BWI)

The Rose Bowl is the place you would expect Penn State and UCLA to traditionally face off. However, Saturday’s contest comes in early October for a Big Ten showdown. Not as much will be on the line compared to the traditional Big Ten/Pac-12 Jan. 1 matchup either, with the Nittany Lions walking in as massive favorites.

Predictions are not too difficult for the ESPN College GameDay Podcast. Pete Thamel is taking Penn State to win by a large margin, wanting to see offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki get something going. Fresh off the Oregon loss, Thamel is looking for some “juice” out of Drew Allar and his weapons.

“They’ll have a home crowd at the Rose Bowl, considering how many Penn State grads live in LA,” Thamel said. “I hope Penn State uses this to find some juju and open things up. The offense has been very un-Kotelnicki-like. It’s been flat and vanilla and with the weapons they have and the quarterback they have, they need to find some juice. But I do think they roll, I don’t think it’s close.”

For the longest time, Penn State’s offense struggled to get anything going vs. Oregon. The scoreline tells a different story, eventually losing 30-24. However, Allar completed just 14 of 25 passes for two touchdowns (both in the fourth quarter) and an interception in 2OT to lose the game.

The term “get-right game” gets thrown around a lot. And to an extent, it’s what Davis expects to take place in Pasadena. His standpoint does not have much to do with Penn State — instead commenting on the tough times of late for UCLA.

“I think Penn State wins that game easily,” Davis said. “Probably not a lot more that needs to be said about that given UCLA’s current circumstances.”

UCLA got its 2026 coaching search underway earlier than everyone else in college football. Deshaun Foster made it three games before Tim Skipper took over as the interim. Some major coaching moves even took place this week, removing offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri on Tuesday.

Last season saw the Bruins fly out East, only to fall by 16 points. James Franklin‘s bunch now returns the favor with their own cross-country flight. Davis and Thamel appear to expect an even bigger win differential to unfold. Not too much confidence in what UCLA might be able to do, once again playing the role of underdog.