Michigan State’s trip to Pasadena lands at a crucial point in the 2026 season, and the forecast is a tough one for the Spartans.
On October 24, Michigan State is projected to walk into the Rose Bowl Stadium with a 5-2 record and leave with a loss, as UCLA is picked to win 31-17. That result would keep the Spartans from reaching bowl eligibility until at least later in the season, since a win over the Bruins would have locked that up for the first time since 2021.
The matchup itself carries some history, even if it has been lopsided for a long time. Michigan State and UCLA will be meeting for just the eighth time, and the Bruins have taken the last four after the Spartans opened the series by winning the first three.
The last Michigan State victory in the rivalry came in 1965. The most recent meeting came last year, when UCLA blew out the Spartans on Homecoming weekend in what became part of the growing pressure on former head coach Jonathan Smith before his eventual departure after the season.
By the time this game arrives, Michigan State is expected to be in a much better spot than it was a year ago. The Spartans are projected to come in ranked for the first time since 2022 after back-to-back home wins over Illinois and Northwestern moved them to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten play. Pat Fitzgerald is set to lead the program into a new era, and the hope is that the early-season momentum can carry into league play.
UCLA, meanwhile, is expected to be one of the offseason’s trendy rebound teams, but the prediction here has the Bruins starting slowly at 2-4 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten action. The one bright spot in that stretch comes the week before Michigan State visits, when UCLA is picked to beat Wisconsin.
Still, the road trip is where the prediction turns against the Spartans. Michigan State has struggled when heading out west, and that pattern is expected to continue here. The game is framed as close on paper, but a few costly turnovers are projected to swing it to UCLA and shut down any bigger Michigan State hopes of pushing into the Big Ten race.
Michigan State gets a bye the following week before heading into its annual rivalry game against Michigan.
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