UCLA 2025 Football Opponent Primer: Michigan State

The UCLA Bruins are entering their second season in the Big Ten Conference with the hopes of erasing last season's 5-7 record from memory by improving in every facet.

In DeShaun Foster's first full offseason at the helm in Westwood, the Bruins did just that -- improved and restructured nearly every facet of the program from the field to the coaching staff.

With that being said, let's take start taking a look at UCLA's 2025 season opponents and how ESPN's Bill Connelly previews them ahead of the season, starting with the Bruins' week seven matchup against the Michigan State Spartans.

According to ESPN's football power index, Michigan State is expected to be a slightly worse team than the Bruins in the Big Ten, winning a projected 4.7 wins (2.3 in the Big Ten), being the 64th-ranked team in college football.

Here's what Connelly had to say about the Spartans ahead of the season:

"Michigan State basically pulled a "reverse UCLA" in Smith's first season. The Spartans were 4-3 after a 32-20 win over Iowa, as sophomore Aidan Chiles damaged a Hawkeyes defense that usually makes the lives of young quarterbacks hell. But it was almost all downhill from there. MSU topped 17 points only once in its final five games and beat only Purdue (and by only seven points).

"Chiles is a very dangerous scrambler, but he took at least two sacks in 10 of 12 games, and he threw over half of his 11 interceptions when State's in-game win probability (per FPI) was between 30 and 70%, meaning they were particularly costly.

"I doubt it takes Smith until Year 4 to get going at MSU the way it did at Oregon State, but I'd be surprised if it happened in Year 2. Chiles' development remains in process, and he'll have a mostly new skill corps around him. Sophomore receiver Nick Marsh and tight end Jack Velling are solid, and Smith added fun lower-level transfers such as running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver (Sacramento State) and receivers Omari Kelly (Middle Tennessee), Chrishon McCray (Kent State) and Rodney Bullard Jr. (Valdosta State). The offense will undoubtedly improve after ranking 119th in offensive SP+, but there's a mountain to climb back to mediocrity.

"Joe Rossi's defense should maintain a top-50 level. The Spartans were good against the run and return four of their top six linemen, plus a strong transfer in Grady Kelly (Florida State). The top three linebackers and three starters in the secondary are gone, but Smith loaded up with portal options, including four OLBs and four cornerbacks. David Santiago (Air Force) might be the surest of the new OLBs, and Joshua Eaton (Texas State) and NiJhay Burt (Eastern Illinois) could both have high value at corner. The defense will carry as much weight as it can, but a schedule with five top-30 opponents won't offer much room for error."

This matchup immediately follows UCLA's expected loss to Penn State, which makes the following clash against the Spartans even more important to get back on their feet.