No. 9 UCLA football (6-0, 4-0 Big Ten) enters its second consecutive home game Saturday against Michigan State (2-5, 0-4). The Bruins clinched a bowl game for the first time since 2023 after beating the Wisconsin Badgers 17-7 last weekend at the Rose Bowl. Now, the Bruins have the opportunity to extend their winning streak to seven against the Spartans. Here are game predictions from Sports editor Jacob Nguyen, assistant Sports editor Sinclair Richman and Sports senior staffer Kai Dizon.
Jacob Nguyen
Sports editor
Prediction: UCLA 31, Michigan State 10
I won’t sugarcoat anything – this is looking to be the most lopsided affair of the Bruins’ 2026 campaign.
To be honest, the biggest storyline isn’t even how UCLA will fare in the game itself, but rather what critics will make of a matchup that doesn’t bode well for any argument in defense of the Bruins’ alleged strength of schedule.
Nevertheless, fans shouldn’t have to think too hard. The Bruin faithful can come to the Rose Bowl with an opportunity to comfortably wear a hoodie – probably for the first time all season – and relax while watching the blue and gold run toward a 7-0 record. Unless you’re defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler – then I guess you’ve been wearing hoodies.
Pitting a lossless UCLA against a conference-winless Michigan State isn’t a great sign for those in East Lansing, who are currently suffering through a five-game losing streak.
Sure, Wisconsin made UCLA’s rushing attack look containable after holding the Bruins to just a 3.2 yards-per-carry average and fifth-year running back Wayne Knight’s to his least productive game all season. But a Spartan defense that is tied for the third-most total rushing touchdowns allowed in the Big Ten this season is the perfect victim to bounce back against.
And against a pass rush that has struggled to effectively pressure opposing quarterbacks, senior signal-caller Ty Dieffenbach should continue to rise to the occasion, having demonstrated exceptional poise and pocket presence against the Badgers, against whom he threw for 264 yards with 22 completions – connecting with eight different Bruins.
It’s honestly crazy that I have yet to attend UCLA at the same time the postseason is a reality, yet here we are.
At this point, my biggest concern isn’t even the Saturday game. It’s how I’m going to balance finals season with the football season extending beyond November.
Wish me luck.
Sinclair Richman
Assistant Sports editor
Prediction: UCLA 40, Michigan State 10
If someone had told me before the season that UCLA’s starting quarterback would go down with a possibly season-ending injury five games into the year, I would assume the season would go down the drain.
But with coach Bob Chesney at the helm and fifth-year running back Wayne Knight on our side, I’m not afraid at all.
Something I love about sports is that you can’t really argue with the facts.
For example, the stats say UCLA has more rushing touchdowns than Michigan State. More specifically, Knight has more rushing touchdowns – 11 – than Michigan State’s entire offense.
Knight is averaging almost 100 rushing yards a game – a number brought down by his recent Wisconsin performance – on a career-high 6.8 yards per carry on the season. And with the Spartans having a bottom-five rushing defense in the Big Ten, the 5-foot-7 Bruin could make light work of the squad.
But even if the Spartans manage to limit Knight the way the Badgers did, Dieffenbach could be the hometown-ish hero once more.
The Calabasas, California, local threw for 264 yards last game – the second-most thrown in a game by a Bruin quarterback this year – on a 66.7% clip. He was unable to add to the one touchdown pass he recorded against then-No. 13 Oregon, so he will likely be hungry to find the end zone.
And there is no better time than UCLA’s homecoming game, where the Rose Bowl will be packed as the Bruin faithful watch to see the Chesney train continue to roll forward.
The Bruins are in long-uncharted waters, and a dominant performance against the Spartans could propel them past the No. 9 ranking to the highest they would have reached since 2015. Michigan State is not ready for the challenge, and UCLA should walk away with a comfortable victory.
Kai Dizon
Daily Bruin senior staff
Prediction: UCLA 52, Michigan State 0
It’s heartbreaking – I can’t make it to the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
And I need to be there for UCLA’s first loss of the season – if there ends up being one.
I’ve witnessed the Bruins fall in countless meaningless games, and I can’t stand the idea of missing the first loss that would mean something in a long time.
For a multitude of reasons, the Bruins cannot let a team headed by first-year coach Pat Fitzgerald and led on the field by quarterback Alessio Milivojevic be the one to end its perfect season.
First and foremost, the Chicago suburbans have had it too good for too long, and they don’t need this.
A Midlothian, Illinois, local and a Naperville, Illinois, local having a head coaching job and starting quarterback role, respectively, is enough – actually, more than enough.
Fitzgerald couldn’t even beat Northwestern.
A win over top-10 UCLA would essentially erase, or at least dilute, Michigan State’s 2-5 season.
Fitzgerald doesn’t deserve that.
I don’t even know where Midlothian is.
I didn’t know it existed until just now.
Dieffenbach, go have a game.
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