Coming into the weekend, nobody expected much of the matchup between the Pennsylvania State University and the University of California, Los Angeles.
Most fans turned their attention to Alabama vs. Vanderbilt or the University of Miami vs. Florida State.
Penn State was the top-ten team in the country, sitting at 3-1, while UCLA was not only unranked but also winless at 0-4. Not to mention, Penn State was coming off a loss to No. 3 Oregon.
Penn State was a 24.5-point favorite. Most UCLA fans probably did not think they had a shot.
However, this turned into the best game of the weekendPenn State came out of the gate slowly as UCLA led 27 to 7 at halftime. In the second half, Penn State clawed its way back making it a one-score game early in the fourth quarter.
The team had difficulty stopping the UCLA run attack all game, and with six minutes left, UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava scrambled for his third rushing touchdown to seal it for UCLA.
Iamaleava put up just under 300 total purpose yards and five touchdowns. Penn State also gave up a total of 269 yards rushing.
In modern football, it does not matter who you play; if you give up 250-plus yards rushing, you lose. That is exactly what happened to No. 7 Penn State.
The final score was 42-37 in favor of UCLA.
In college football, every game matters. This is why many people believe that this loss can be the reason Penn State will potentially miss out on the College Football Playoffs in December.
Penn State currently sits at a 3-2 record.
Most teams with two losses on their record have a difficult time being selected into the college football playoffs.
Penn State’s upcoming schedule does not help the team much either.
It plays a strong Iowa football team on Oct. 18. Then, it goes up against No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 1. The following weekend, the team plays No. 8 Indiana.
After nine games of the season, Penn State could very well be sitting at a 6-3 record, or even 5-4.
Neither of these outcomes is good enough to place Penn State in the 12-team playoffs, with three games of the season remaining, including the one against No. 1 Ohio State. A task that seems impossible to accomplish.
