If you were looking for the most jaw-dropping moment of the college football weekend, you didn’t have to look further than Pasadena, California. There, on October 4, 2025, the Penn State Nittany Lions—ranked No. 6 in the US LBM Coaches Poll just a week prior and preseason No. 2 in the AP Top 25—suffered a stunning 42-37 defeat at the hands of the previously winless UCLA Bruins. For a team with playoff aspirations and a proud tradition, this was more than just a loss; it was a seismic shock that sent ripples across the college football landscape.
Heading into Saturday, the narrative couldn’t have been more lopsided. Penn State, sitting at 3-1, was expected to handle a UCLA squad that many considered the worst in the Power Four conferences. The Bruins were 0-4, fresh off a humiliating blowout loss to New Mexico, and had just fired head coach DeShaun Foster. To make matters even more chaotic, Jerry Neuheisel—former UCLA quarterback and son of ex-Bruins head coach Rick Neuheisel—was handed play-calling duties on offense with just two days of preparation. What could possibly go right for UCLA?
But sports, as they say, are full of surprises. In front of a raucous home crowd at the Rose Bowl, UCLA delivered the upset of the season, if not the decade. The Bruins' offense, with Neuheisel pulling the strings, exploded for 42 points against a Penn State defense that had been considered one of the Big Ten’s best. According to CBS Sports College Football, “Jerry Neuheisel says that UCLA had two days to practice its new gameplan before scoring 42 on Penn State.” The moment was made even more special as cameras captured Rick Neuheisel beaming with pride from the stands, watching his son orchestrate one of the most improbable victories in recent memory.
The aftermath for Penn State was immediate and harsh. The Nittany Lions plummeted 16 spots in the US LBM Coaches Poll, landing at No. 22 for Week 7. That was the largest drop of any team in the poll this week. With a 3-2 record after back-to-back losses, Penn State received 294 total points—just one shy of No. 21 Iowa State, who themselves had lost on the road, albeit to a much stronger Cincinnati team now sitting at 4-1. As for the Associated Press Top 25 poll, the news was even grimmer: Penn State fell out entirely for the first time since September 2, 2022. They still garnered 97 points, effectively making them the No. 28 team, but for a program that began the season with national title hopes, it was a sobering fall from grace.
“Penn State’s loss to UCLA is probably the biggest upset I’ve seen since I started covering college football in 2017,” wrote one AP pollster, underlining the magnitude of the defeat. The sentiment was echoed across the college football media landscape. Many noted that UCLA had not led in a single game all season before this breakthrough, and their only other claim to fame was a string of lopsided losses, including the debacle against New Mexico that cost Foster his job.
The ripple effects extended beyond Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions’ tumble allowed other teams to climb the rankings. Indiana surged to No. 7, Michigan jumped to No. 15, and Illinois moved up to No. 17 in the US LBM Coaches Poll following their own victories and Penn State’s dramatic fall. In the AP Poll, Ohio State retained the top spot, followed by Miami, Oregon, and Ole Miss, while Texas A&M continued its unbeaten run at No. 5.
Interestingly, Texas, the preseason AP No. 1, also fell out of the Top 25 after a road loss at Florida, receiving 111 votes—just edging out Penn State. The shake-up at the bottom of the polls was fierce, with several teams, including Virginia and Memphis, making their way into the rankings. The Nittany Lions’ lack of wins over Power Four opponents and their unimpressive showings against Villanova and Florida International were cited as reasons for their exclusion from the AP Top 25, despite their close loss to then-No. 2 Oregon earlier in the season.
For UCLA, the victory was a desperately needed shot of optimism. The Bruins had been written off by nearly everyone after their disastrous start and coaching upheaval. Yet, with Jerry Neuheisel at the helm—even if only for a week—they managed to turn the narrative on its head. As one college football observer put it, “What made it even more special was seeing former UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel watch his son, Jerry, a former Bruins quarterback, earn the win as offensive play caller after just two days of preparation for Penn State. What a moment. Sports, man. This is just awesome.”
The broader college football picture also saw Texas A&M improve to 5-0 for the first time since 2016 with a 31-9 win over Mississippi State, and Oklahoma, with backup quarterback Michael Hawkins, blanked Kent State 44-0 in a tune-up before the Red River Rivalry. But nothing could overshadow the drama that unfolded in Pasadena.
Looking ahead, Penn State will try to regroup as they return to the friendly confines of Beaver Stadium. Their next challenge comes against Northwestern on October 11, 2025, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. ET. It’s Homecoming in State College, and the Nittany Lions will be desperate to right the ship in front of their home fans. The game will air on FS1, and all eyes will be on James Franklin’s squad to see how they respond to adversity after such a stunning setback.
For now, the college football world is left to marvel at the unpredictability of the sport. One week, you’re a top contender; the next, you’re on the outside looking in. Penn State’s shocking loss to UCLA will be remembered for years to come—not just for the result, but for the unlikely heroes and the wild swings of fortune that make college football so endlessly captivating.
