This post was updated Oct. 11 at 10:53 p.m.

UCLA football (1-4, 1-1 Big Ten) shocked the world on Saturday, defeating then-No. 7 Penn State by a score of 42-37 at the Rose Bowl to earn its first victory over a top-10 opponent since 2010. But after losing four consecutive games to start the season, the Bruins leave fans and viewers alike confused about where this team stands. Saturday’s contest against Michigan State (3-2, 0-2) at Spartan Stadium will be a big indication of where the team will finish. The matchup marks the first time the two teams have met since 1974. Here are UCLA’s predictions from Sports editor Connor Dullinger, senior staffer Kai Dizon and assistant Sports editor Ella Dunderdale – along with a guest prediction from assistant Photo editor Aidan Sun.

Connor Dullinger
Sports editor
Prediction: UCLA 37, Michigan State 34

“A tree falls the way it leans.”

Dr. Seuss’ metaphorical warning in “The Lorax” highlights that each action has an inevitable consequence.

And the Bruins will have two choices Saturday morning in East Lansing, Michigan.

After UCLA upset then-No. 7 Penn State last week at the Rose Bowl – giving the squad its first win over a top 10 team since 2010 – the Bruins reached their peak. The victory was one that no one expected – evidenced by their designation as 24.5-point underdogs.

Four consecutive losses, conceded without ever staking a lead, and the departure of the Bruins’ top three coaches made it seem the Bruins had flatlined – perpetually stuck in the cellar of the Big Ten, lying flat on the x-axis.

But growth is not linear.

And no one knows what to think about the state of this UCLA team and what the unit can do going forward.

A loss confirms that last Saturday was a “one hit wonder” and that the upset of Drew Allar’s Nittany Lions was the singular bright light in the middle of a dark and endless tunnel.

But a win will make fans wonder.

Is there a bowl game on the horizon? Can the Bruins leave Ohio or Memorial Stadium with a win? Can UCLA flip the script on what will go down as one of the most memorable seasons ever?

The Bruins will fall where they lean.

And it seems like they have completely bought into whatever Interim Head Coach Tim Skipper and Assistant Head Coach and Tight Ends Coach Jerry Neuheisel are saying.

I have eaten my words on every other prediction this season.

So just like the Bruins, I have to listen to “be careful which way you lean.”

Kai Dizon
Daily Bruin senior staff
Prediction: UCLA 34, Michigan State 17

Saturday is not just a must-win game for UCLA’s bowl-game aspirations.

After upsetting then-No. 7 Penn State, it’s a winnable game.

For the first time since the season opener, UCLA may actually have something resembling a target on its back.

But I’m not particularly scared of the Spartans hitting a bullseye – they haven’t even been able to consistently find the uprights, missing nearly 30% of their field goals this season.

The Bruins, however, are getting better.

They’ve outscored their opponents 53-37 over their last 90 minutes of football. Meanwhile, the Spartans have been outscored 59-48.

With starting quarterback Aidan Chiles completing under 40% of his passes against Nebraska, Michigan State elected to play redshirt freshman Alessio Milivojevic under center for the team’s final drive.

Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava is coming off the best performance of his career against a Power Four opponent, with 294 combined yards and five touchdowns Saturday.

Neuheisel had just three days to practice with the offense ahead of the Nittany Lions – imagine what he can do with a full week.

One team is getting better. The other has declined.

Who would you go with?

Ella Dunderdale
Assistant Sports editor
Prediction: UCLA 28, Michigan State 20

My outlook last week was anything but positive.

But on Saturday, the Bruins looked like a completely different team.

After taking the chance on another Bruin faithful in Neuheisel, the newest double-Bruin experiment proved lucrative, as the first-time playcaller guided UCLA to a season-high 269 rushing yards along with 166 through the air.

The Bruins flipped a switch last week, dominating the offense and transforming from a team that hadn’t led a game into one that controlled the contest from start to finish – dog-walking a Nittany Lion defense that had previously allowed the 10th-fewest points per game at 11.8.

Iamaleava finally had his moment – breaking out with the performance Bruin fans had been waiting for. He totaled five touchdowns, used his legs to make big plays and logged a team-high 128 rushing yards while completing 17-of-24 passes without an interception.

Somehow, UCLA turned things around on both sides of the ball – shocking the college football world and ending the night picture-perfect, carrying Neuheisel off the field as he pumped his fists.

So when it comes to this week’s contest, I can’t help but hold out hope.

If UCLA can reproduce its performance this week, it has a real chance against Michigan State – a team still searching for its first conference victory after managing just 84 rushing yards and 156 passing yards in last week’s loss to Nebraska.

If the Bruins can pull it off, they will show they aren’t just a one-hit wonder – they’re a squad with a real fighting shot in the Big Ten.

But that’s a big if.

There’s always the possibility of a relapse – a repeat of the familiar struggles we saw through the team’s first four contests.

Ultimately, I believe that the former will prove true. UCLA will ride the momentum into its second conference victory.

After all, if the Bruins could deliver amid coaching turnover and national scrutiny, there’s no reason they can’t do it again.

Aidan Sun
Assistant Photo editor
Prediction: UCLA 33, Michigan State 27

“A funeral to a festival.”

The vibes at UCLA shifted overnight.

And the party is far from over.

The golden boy of the program – Neuheisel – has ascended to his rightful place among the Bruins’ coaching trinity, and I am hellbent on believing he will lead the team out of the desert to the Promised Land by the end of his inaugural season.

The first-time playcaller, who had only days to prepare a game plan against a top-10 opponent, made a mockery of Penn State’s Jim Knowles, college football’s highest-paid defensive coordinator.

Neuheisel was then carried off and hoisted to the heavens, arms outstretched – a masterfully metaphorical and biblically poetic scene that only my high school English teacher could have dreamed of.

If all this symbolism isn’t indicating Neuheisel’s divinity, then I guess I owe Ms. Damon an apology.

Metaphors aside, this week the real work begins.

With former Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach Tino Sunseri gone, this is Neuheisel’s offense, his vision, his story to write. Against Michigan State, the college football world will get its first glimpse of what this revamped Bruin offense can look like when Jerry has a full week to prepare.

The Spartans have looked lackluster at best through two weeks of conference play, showing cracks on both sides of the ball in back-to-back losses. Their defense especially has given up nearly 250 passing yards per game – a prime target to attack with Iamaleava’s arm.

If Neuheisel and Iamaleava can replicate even a fraction of last week’s creativity and rhythm, UCLA’s offense should hum, making up for a defense I’m still not convinced has fully figured it out.

Last week’s shockwave flipped the energy in Westwood from apathy to anticipation. For the first time in a long time, there’s a sense that UCLA’s golden age isn’t just a thing of the past – it’s being forged from the ashes before our very eyes.

It’s Jerry’s world now – or it soon will be.

We’re all just living in it.