Saturday marks the first time in 56 years and 364 days since UCLA last played in Beaver Stadium. Penn State lost that game 17-15.

It’s also the first time Penn State will face one of the four former Pac-12 schools since they joined the Big Ten.

Nonetheless, Penn State is on a roll after a big “White Out… energy” win over Illinois. Our staffers are confident the Nittany Lions won’t lose against UCLA this time around and believe it will be in blowout fashion.

Fernando Martinez Ruiz De Esparza (4-0): Penn State 38, UCLA 7

Folks, this game has the word blowout written all over it.

Penn State played very well against Illinois last week, and the score could’ve been more lopsided if it wasn’t for its kicking woes. This is a game where the Nittany Lions can fix key issues like their penalty troubles. Last week, they let a pick-six get away from them due to an unnecessary block in the back penalty.

Also, the offense struggled to put up points and had to get bailed out by its elite defense. With the USC game coming next week, this can’t happen. For that reason, Penn State will play very well on both sides of the ball, and I expect a good performance from Drew Allar.

As for UCLA, this team has been very disappointing. The Bruins appointed two-time Super Bowl champion offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy during the offseason, and yet their offense has been awful, as they have yet to put up more than 20 points this season.

UCLA’s only win this season came against a Hawaii team that is 2-2, and the Bruins have lost all their other games by 17 or more points. In my opinion, this team doesn’t stand a chance, and I expect it to struggle mightily on Saturday.

The Nittany Lions will keep their undefeated season alive ahead of a tough road game against a talented USC team next week.

Michael Siroty (3-0): Penn State 38, UCLA 10

Penn State is the third-ranked opponent in a row for UCLA, so while the Bruins have experience against some good teams, they’re no match for Penn State. The Nittany Lions were tested against Illinois last week but made adjustments to have a strong second half and win 21-7. The running game behind a powerful offensive line will lead Penn State to victory by four touchdowns in front of a Stripe Out crowd in Beaver Stadium.

Aidan Conrad (4-0): Penn State 42, UCLA 6

This may be one of the least appealing Stripe Out games we’ve ever witnessed, sigh. I don’t want to look ahead too much and start thinking about the USC game, but UCLA is simply not a good football team.

Cooper Cazares (3-0): Penn State 38, UCLA 7

I’ll be blunt. UCLA has no business being in the Big Ten. The Bruins have been bad this season. Their only win was a slim three-point edge over Hawaii. I don’t think this contest will be close, but there is a chance this could be a trap game.

The Nittany Lions shouldn’t lose this game, but after beating ranked Illinois in an electric night game atmosphere and USC being right around the corner, I could see Penn State overlooking the Bruins.

I have to believe that even if the first quarter is close, the Nittany Lions will prevail and score numerous unanswered touchdowns to seal the game in the second half. Penn State covers. 

CJ Gill (4-0): Penn State 45, UCLA 6

UCLA is arguably the worst team in the Big Ten through the first month of the season. The Bruins aren’t good offensively, defensively, or in the trenches. An early start for the West Coast team combined with Penn State possibly looking ahead to next week could make for an ugly first quarter.

After settling in, the Nittany Lions should have no problem dealing with UCLA and coming out of Saturday with another victory. Although, I don’t expect the offense to open up the entire playbook with a big game against USC on the horizon.

Charlie Winokur (0-0): Penn State 45, UCLA 10

This Saturday’s Big Noon Kickoff matchup between Penn State and UCLA should be fun.

The Bruins have had a harder schedule than the Nittany Lions so far, but haven’t impressed in those games. Through its first four games, UCLA has yet to post more than 17 points in a game and has the lowest yards per game in the Big Ten. However, in its matchups against LSU and Oregon, UCLA did cover the spread, so I predict they do the same against the Nittany Lions this weekend.

Penn State is a nightmare matchup for the Bruins as the Nittany Lions have allowed the second-lowest points this season and average the third-most yards per game on offense in the Big Ten. Points will be hard to come by for the Bruins on Saturday, and Drew Allar should be able to march Penn State‘s offense down the field with ease.

James Russell (1-0): Penn State 34, UCLA 14

From my perspective, this game should reveal more about Penn State than how well a 1-3 UCLA team will fare in a hostile environment facing a new conference opponent. Against Illinois, Penn State was charged with six penalties, totaling 63 yards. James Franklin emphasized the importance of reducing penalties this season, and that’s certainly something to keep an eye on this Saturday.

Penn State will dominate the line of scrimmage and keep the offense flowing with Drew Allar at the helm. Expect Penn State to come out swinging and leave Beaver Stadium with a victory.

Jamie Lynch (4-0): Penn State 35, UCLA 13

Penn State handles business this weekend. UCLA is the second lowest-ranked team in the conference, coming off a 21-point loss to Oregon. I don’t expect any big game hangover for James Franklin’s squad as the Nittany Lions should find a way to get rolling relatively early.

Expect good Stripe Out energy (not to be confused with “White Out…energy”) on what should be a sunny Saturday in Happy Valley. Welcome to the Big Ten, Bruins.

Nolan Wick (4-0): Penn State 49, UCLA 0

Eric Bieniemy is UCLA’s offensive coordinator. Need I say more? I’m a fan of Washington’s NFL franchise, so take it from me when I say he isn’t good at his job. He ran the offense into the ground in his lone season as offensive coordinator and so far, the results have been even worse for the Bruins. Their 14.8 points per game rank 128th in the FBS.

Given Bieniemy’s coaching and UCLA’s general overhaul of its staff and roster, I expect Penn State to dominate. The usual suspects will play well, and the defense will feast against Bieniemy’s offense.

CJ Doebler (4-0): Penn State 45, UCLA 3

We’re going to see another Kent State-like rout this weekend, folks.

The UCLA offense is downright bad. The Bruins average just 14.8 points per game and are 1-3 on the season with a win over Hawaii. Pair this with the fact that they may still be jetlagged at kickoff, and Penn State looks even stronger.

UCLA is going to struggle on its way through the Big Ten this year, and a test at Beaver Stadium this early in the year isn’t going to end well for the cross-country travelers.

Mitch Corcoran (4-0): Penn State 42, ULCA 0

I’m just comparing the numbers here, but this UCLA team rivals Kent State. In the Bruins’ defense, they have the No. 1 strength of schedule in the FBS, but Kent State’s strength of schedule is No. 15 and these numbers are still awful.

Kent State and UCLA both average 14.8 points, the Golden Flashes average 0.6 more rush yards per game, and Kent State’s third-string quarterback Tommy Ulatowski has a better touchdown-to-interception ratio (4/1) than UCLA’s starting quarterback Ethan Garbers (3/6).

Garbers also might not play due to injury. If that’s the case, UCLA’s backup is Justyn Martin, who has five career pass attempts.

It’s not all bad though. The Bruins have a significantly better run defense, but they are still no match for Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. If you think Penn State has a penalty problem, well, UCLA averages more penalties per game for more yards. And one more thing, this is a 9 a.m. kick on the West Coast.

This game is going to be a splattering.

Joe Lister (4-0): Penn State 45, UCLA 3

UCLA will have no solution for the Nittany Lions.

Andy Kotelnicki, please don’t overthink this one. Let Drew Allar chuck deep balls to Trey Wallace for a few hours and walk out with win No. 5. UCLA has one of the nation’s worst pass defenses and is one of America’s worst Power Five teams. This isn’t necessarily the game for Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen to run rampant, but they probably can anyway.

What I really want to see in this game is who gets the reps at kicker. The more the Nittany Lions are getting down the field, the more reps Ryan Barker or Chase Meyer can get. If I’m James Franklin, I’m kicking field goals on first down in the fourth quarter just to get in-game reps.