The UCLA Bruins and the Penn State Nittany Lions will meet Saturday in college football action from Beaver Stadium. Here’s a Penn State vs UCLA prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Penn State vs UCLA pick.
UCLA Bruins Betting Preview
The Bruins kicked off the 2024 season with a road victory over Hawaii, eking it out 16-13. The Next two games were disappointing losses however, as UCLA fell to Indiana 42-13 and LSU 34-17 to drop to 1-2 through three games.
Last weekend versus Oregon, the Bruins were down 28-10 by halftime and eventually fell 34-13. QB Ethan Garbers logged 118 yards and a pair of interceptions. Tops in rushing was TJ Harden with 13 carries for 53 yards.
Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Preview
Over on the Penn State side, they took a fairly routine opener win over West Virginia 34-12 but had to fight a bit in order to secure a 34-27 win over Bowling Green the next weekend. Game three was another win, this time a 56-0 blowout over Kent State.
Matched up against Illinois on Saturday, the Nittany Lions were all knotted up 7-7 going into the second half. Penn State outscored the Illini 14-0 the rest of the way in a 21-7 win. Drew Allar threw for 135 yards, but Kaytron Allen (102 yards; TD) and Nick Singleton (94 yards; TD) did most of the work rushing.
Why the Penn State Nittany Lions will win
- Penn State has won each of its last 24 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- UCLA has lost each of its last nine road games against top-15 AP-ranked teams.
- Penn State has covered the spread in 15 of its last 17 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- UCLA has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six games against top-10 AP-ranked teams.
- UCLA has lost the first half in five of its last six games against conference opponents.
Why the UCLA Bruins will win
- The underdog has covered the spread in eight of UCLA’s last 10 games.
- The team ranked 7th in the AP Poll has failed to cover the spread in three of its last four games.
Total Points Facts
- Each of UCLA’s last seven October games as an underdog against top-15 AP-ranked teams has gone OVER the total points line.
- Each of Penn State’s last four home games in October has gone OVER the total points line.
Penn State vs UCLA Prediction
I’m going to stay with Penn State but the line’s too thick to mess with. The Lions looked pretty good against a tricky Illini team over the weekend, especially in the second half. Penn State came up with two turnovers in the win, holding Illinois to 219 total yards (185 passing), 3.8 yards per play, and 4-of-13 on third downs. Offensively, Penn State’s rushing attack (239 yards) really carried the day.
As for UCLA, they were pretty flat against a great Oregon team in their last outing. The Bruins posted just 172 total yards (125 passing), 11 first downs, and 1-of-10 on third-down tries. The nine penalties and two interceptions didn’t help either. This will be another tough matchup for UCLA and I don’t think they’ll be able to cover.