UCLA vs. No. 7 Penn State final odds and prediction

UCLA has been officially welcomed to Big Ten football by Illinois and Oregon of all teams, but now the Bruins will be going on the road for the first time in their new conference and it’ll be a baptism by fire. A trip to Beaver Stadium could be the toughest road game in the conference and that’s where first-year head coach Deshaun Foster will lead 1-3 UCLA on Saturday afternoon in Week 6 against the undefeated No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions. 

The pressure is on James Franklin to lead his team to the 12-team College Football Playoff and compete for a national championship for the first time in his 11th season in Happy Valley. So far, the early returns have been great, including a 21-7 win in Week 5 over then No. 19 Illinois. 

Franklin’s team didn’t cover as a big home favorite last week, but the sportsbooks have enough more confidence in the Nittany Lions this week. 

UCLA vs. Penn State odds, spread, and total

These odds are available in the FanDuel Sportsbook. 

Moneyline

• UCLA +2400
• Penn State -10000

Spread

• UCLA +27.5 (-106)
• Penn State +27.5 (-114)

Total

• 46.5 (over -110/under -110)

UCLA vs. Penn State prediction

The biggest revelation in Happy Valley this season has been the arrival of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki who came bearing the great and elusive gift of explosive plays. Kotelnicki’s offense has unlocked the deep passing game with Drew Allar and revitalized Nick Singleton’s career, showcasing his breakaway speed by finally getting the junior running back into space. 

However, a week ago, Illinois lived with two deep safeties and was able to put a lid on Kotelinicki’s boiling pot of pre-snap motion and formational oddities that so often generate big plays. So, defensive coordinator Tom Allen stepped up and stifled the positive momentum that second-year starting quarterback Luke Altmyer had made through Illinois’s 4-0 start. 

Allen locked down the Fighting Illini run game, just 34 yards on the ground, and with so much on Altmyer’s shoulders, Nittany Lion cornerback AJ Harris baited him into his first turnover of the year. Penn State can still dominate with defense, and it will against UCLA’s putrid run game and banged-up quarterback Ethan Garbers, and this week Allar and Kotelnicki will turn up the heat in Happy Valley and the Nittany Lion offense will boil over. 

This offseason, Lincoln Riley poached UCLA defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn who has made the USC defense respectable for the first time during Riley’s tenure in LA. Then, head coach Chip Kelly left UCLA to become the OC on Ryan Day’s staff in Columbus, and Deshaun Foster was brought back to clean up the mess. 

Well, after a 1-3 start, it’s obvious that UCLA isn’t a one-year fix, but instead a complete overhaul. The UCLA defense ranks 25th in yards per rush, but 109th in yards per dropback allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Allar has been a big-play machine through the first five weeks of the season, but he’ll have his best performance in Week 6 against UCLA. 

I’ll predict the Nittany Lions to roll to a 42-6 win at Beaver Stadium.