UCLA 2025 Football Opponent Primer: Penn 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 six matchup against the Penn State Nittany Lions.

According to ESPN's football power index, Penn State is expected to be one of the top three teams in college football this season, much less in the Big Ten, winning a projected 10.4 wins (7.4 in the Big Ten), being the third-ranked team in college football.

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

"Franklin has made college football predictable in an almost jarring way: Over the past three seasons, Penn State is 34-2 as a favorite, 27-0 when favored by at least six points. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions are 0-6 as underdogs. They win and lose the games they're supposed to. That makes them very successful. It also gives them a glass ceiling.

"If that doesn't change now, will it ever? Penn State has more proven entities than any team in college football in 2025. Franklin is one of the sport's best head coaches, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki helped PSU improve from 30th to ninth in offensive SP+ in his first season calling plays, and in the past decade alone, new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has crafted Oklahoma State's best defense in 15 years, Ohio State's best in 25 and Duke's best in 60-plus. He's magnificent.

"Penn State has finished seventh or better in defensive SP+ for four straight years and six of the past eight, and Knowles inherits known quality at every position: end Dani Dennis-Sutton and tackle Zane Durant (combined: 26 TFLs, 11.5 sacks) up front, Tony Rojas, Dom DeLuca and North Carolina transfer Amare Campbell at linebacker and corner A.J. Harris and safety Zakee Wheatley in the back. The depth isn't amazing -- of the 17 defenders with at least 300 snaps last year, only eight return, including only two of six up front -- but when you have a track record, you get the benefit of the doubt.

"On offense, running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton both return for their senior seasons; in three years, they've combined for a jaw-dropping 6,979 yards from scrimmage (5.9 per touch) and 68 touchdowns. The offensive line returns four starters, including an All-America candidate in guard Vega Ioane, and the receiving corps, which was far too limited last season, received portal upgrades in Devonte Ross (Troy), Trebor Pena (Syracuse) and Kyron Hudson (USC). All-world tight end Tyler Warren is gone, but returning TEs Luke Reynolds and Khalil Dinkins are good by non-Warren standards, and if the wideouts are ready to produce more, that's a net win.

"That leaves Drew Allar. The No. 2 pocket passer in the 2022 recruiting class, he was seen as a savior from the moment he arrived in Happy Valley; it was going to be almost impossible for him to live up to the hype. But after an up-and-down 2023 debut, he improved in his first year with Kotelnicki, throwing for 3,327 yards and 24 touchdowns and finishing 17th in Total QBR. He's clearly good, but it's difficult to win three or four CFP games with a merely top-20 quarterback. He probably needs to prove he has one more gear, though having such an outstanding supporting cast will help.

"If PSU continues the "win as a favorite, lose as a dog" thing in 2025, the Nittany Lions probably will reach the Big Ten championship game again, having lost only at Ohio State on Nov. 1. They'll probably be favored in every other game, especially through a ridiculously weak nonconference slate (Nevada, Florida International, Villanova). Rarely do all the arrows point in the right direction the way they are for the Nittany Lions heading into this season. It would be a shame not to take advantage of that."

The Bruins are obviously projected to lose this game, which makes their four games prior to this one even more important in stacking win towards securing a bowl game bid.