Michigan State football is heading out west in search of their first Big Ten win. But ESPN's SP+ model doesn't think that'll be happening again this week.
Bill Connelly of ESPN has posted his weekly SP+ predictions
for every FBS game this week, and the projected final score for Michigan State-UCLA is tilted heavily towards the Bruins. The model has UCLA beating Michigan State by the final score of 34-16 on Saturday.Michigan State has lost five straight games and currently sits at 2-5 overall and 0-4 in Big Ten play. The Spartans have lost their last two games in heartbreaking fashion, including a game-winning field goal by Northwestern this past week.
UCLA is on the other end of the spectrum right now, with the Bruins currently undefeated and
ranked in the top 10 nationally. The Bruins handled Wisconsin this past weekend to improve to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in Big Ten play.
Kickoff for this week's matchup is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. This game will be televised on CBS.
My Thoughts on SP+ Prediction
Michigan State has played tight and close games each of the last two weeks, but I fear this could be the week where the dam breaks. UCLA's defense has been very impressive this year and I anticipate the Spartans' offense running into issues against that unit. So, that's where I could see this game going sideways and the final score being a larger margin than the predicted SP+ score.
Complete SP+ Predictions for Week 8
Click on the post below to see the complete breakdown of every Football Bowl Subdivision game that SP+ has predicted the scores for this upcoming week:
WEEK 8 SP+ PICKS
— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) October 18, 2026
Indiana 26, Michigan 18
Utah 33, Houston 25
BYU 32, UCF 17
Horns 31, Rebs 24 (🤨🤔)
LSU 30, Auburn 19
Miami 35, Pitt 17
Hawkeyes 27, Gophers 19
USC 28, Wisconsin 23
Bama 32, A&M 21
REALLY low point totals this week. Odd.
All games: https://t.co/73kYGhmtmG pic.twitter.com/wMbYt0YPzI
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: ESPN SP+ ratings system predicts final score for Michigan State-UCLA matchup
