BREAKING: Penn State lands early kick for matchup with Big Ten newcomer UCLA

Penn State football will be featured in the noon window for its Week 6 contest with Big Ten newcomer UCLA, it was announced on Monday.

Per the Big Ten’s announcement this afternoon, the matchup between the Nittany Lions and Bruins will be broadcast on FOX.

Just in: Week 6⃣ kick and network designations 👀#B1GFootball pic.twitter.com/F2tnGYRlsK

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 23, 2024

James Franklin and Penn State football are fresh off a dominating 56-0 win over Kent State on Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions set a program record with 718 yards of total offense while holding the Golden Flashes to just 67. The yardage differential of 651 is the largest recorded by any program in the nation against an FBS opponent in the last 20 seasons.

UCLA is off to a 1-2 (0-1 conference) start in its inaugural season as a member of the Big Ten. After defeating Hawai’i 16-13 to kick off 2024, the Bruins lost their Big Ten opener to Indiana 42-13. The Bruins fell to LSU 34-17 in Baton Rouge on Saturday.

UCLA will host Oregon in the Rose Bowl this weekend before making the cross-country trek to State College.

Penn State football trails the all-time series 4-2, although the two programs have not faced off since October 12, 1968. Next weekend’s matchup will be one week shy of 56 years since that matchup, a 21-6 Nittany Lions win. UCLA last traveled to Beaver Stadium in October 1967, a game the Bruins won 17-15.

Is Penn State football ready for the challenges of Big Ten conference play?

Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images

Now 3-0 on the season, the ninth-ranked Nittany Lions prepare to take a significant step up in competition this weekend, welcoming No. 19 Illinois to Happy Valley for the program’s first top-20 matchup of 2024.

Following next week’s contest with UCLA, Penn State faces road games at USC and Wisconsin and a home date with Ohio State over the next month. A four-week stretch that will almost certainly determine the Nittany Lions’ viability for the College Football Playoff, James Franklin discussed his team’s current status heading into Big Ten play.

“We went on the road and won in a tough environment. I think West Virginia won today,” Franklin said after Saturday’s game. “We played well enough to win last week [against Bowling Green], but probably not up to our standard, which I’ll admit. And then I thought this week we did what we needed to do, so we’ve got to take all three of those different experiences and learn from them, and then get better this week. And we’ve got a really good opponent coming in. I’ve got a ton of respect for them [Illinois]. It’s going to be a heck of a game, but I do think we’ve done what we needed to do up to this point.

“It hasn’t always been perfect, but there’s a lot of places in the country right now that would love to be 1-0 this week and 3-0 for the season. So, I’m happy with that, but there’ll be a ton of things that we’re still going to have to get cleaned up for next week.”

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation, one of the fastest-growing outlets covering Penn State athletics. Part of the Full Ride network, we are an alumni-owned, community-operated, credentialed media outlet dedicated to providing you with updated and reliable insights for all your favorite Nittany Lion sports. Whether it’s Penn State football, basketball, wrestling, or anything in between, you can find it all on Basic Blues Nation!

Please follow us on our social channels, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and subscribe to our newsletter on Substack for breaking news and notifications. For feedback, questions, or concerns, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on social media.