Overview

• Previously winless UCLA upset then-No. 7 Penn State 42-37 at the Rose Bowl, gaining 446 total yards with 280 on the ground in a result noted as the first 0-4 team to beat a top-10 opponent since 1985.
• James Franklin accepted responsibility and said he is evaluating everything "from the top down, starting with me," while acknowledging defensive regression under new coordinator Jim Knowles.
• Prominent voices amplified scrutiny of Franklin’s tenure, with ESPN’s Paul Finebaum saying he "should be fired" and others citing his poor record in top-10 games as evidence of a deeper issue.
• Reports place Franklin’s buyout in the $50 million–$56 million range through 2031, making an immediate dismissal financially difficult and fueling discussion of waiting or a potential mutual parting.
• After consecutive losses, Penn State fell from the AP Top 25 and ESPN’s power ranking, sits 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten, and returns home to face Northwestern on Saturday.