UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) is stopped on fourth down by Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley (6) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Raise your hand if you saw this coming.

Didn’t think so.

Penn State’s stunning 42-37 loss to UCLA on Saturday at the Rose Bowl had historians scrambling for perspective.

Here’s what they came up with: It was the first time in 40 years that a winless team beat a top-10 team. Not since UTEP defeated No. 7 BYU in 1985.

The Nittany Lions entered the game as 24.5-point favorites, and although they’ve lost before as 20-point favorites — against Maryland in 2020 and the nine-overtime debacle vs. Illinois a year later — this is clearly the low moment of James Franklin’s 12-year tenure and one of the worst losses in Penn State history.

For this reason: The Lions entered the season ranked No. 2, and Franklin himself stoked the expectations by saying this year’s team had his “best combined personnel” — meaning players and coaches.

The Lions came within a play of being in the national championship game last year. With a loaded roster of returnees and a friendly schedule, many (including me) thought this season could be even better.

By poaching defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Ohio State and making him the nation’s highest-paid assistant coach at $3.1 million annually, a year after landing offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and paying him $1.7 million, Franklin had convinced Penn State to push all its chips to the middle of the table.

And now that they’ve shown their hand, it appears the Lions only have a pair. And they’re not aces.

Penn State, suddenly 3-2, was outplayed and outcoached by a now 1-4 UCLA program that fired its coach last month and its offensive coordinator last week and actually had never led in a game this season.

And yet, the Nittany Lions looked neither ready, nor terribly interested.

They allowed the loss to Oregon to beat them again as they felt sorry for themselves and did not refocus.

“Obviously, we did not handle last week’s loss well,” Franklin said afterward in accepting the blame. “I thought our guys worked hard at doing that last week, but obviously not well enough. That’s my responsibility, and I didn’t get it done.”

For the second straight week, the offense started slow and mustered just a single score before halftime.

And while the defense kept the Lions in the game against Oregon, it was clearly the inferior unit Saturday. It was out of position, missed tackles and collapsed both times in the second half when the offense pulled the Nits within a touchdown.

It looked like it had never seen a mobile quarterback as Nico Iamaleava ran around and at times through the Nits, gaining 128 on 16 rushes, throwing for another 166 and winding up with five touchdowns.

Further, the Lions’ poor coaching extended to the special teams as UCLA sprung a surprise onside kick that the Bruins easily recovered after taking a 7-0 lead.

Franklin said the Lions talked “all week long” about being on guard for a team that he figured would take “significant risks,” and when the Nits fell behind 10-0, “from that point on, we were battling.”

And battling uphill.

Penn State’s coaching staff also came off as totally oblivious in the final 25 seconds when, trailing 42-35 and down to its last breath, it inexplicably didn’t rush UCLA punter, who accepted a safety and melted an important eight seconds off the clock.

Franklin always talks about the “middle eight,” but down 24-7, he totally mismanaged the last four minutes of the first half by failing to call any timeouts and exhibiting no urgency.

Honestly, with one gaffe after another, it may well have been the single worst game Franklin has ever coached. The season — and possibly Franklin’s PSU career — has now unexpectedly hit a crossroads.

Franklin has already lost the fan base, evidenced by their “Fire Franklin” chants with the Nits trailing Oregon, 17-3.

Next week’s pre-game introductions prior to the homecoming game with Northwestern could be downright ugly.

Many are already speculating about, and endorsing, a buyout of Franklin’s contract, which is $56 million — a parting gift from Sandy Barbour.

With Penn State’s chances to play in the College Football Playoff dimmed to a flicker, Saturday showed the Lions were wildly overrated, and if they don’t regroup quickly, they could be staring at 8-4, 7-5 or worse.

And that will make Franklin, for those inclined, even harder to defend.

“We’ve got to tune out all the outside noise,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot out there to divide, divide, divide, and we’ve got to tune all that out and stick together.”

They may want to start with team earplugs.

Neil Rudel covers Penn State football and can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.