LOS ANGELES – The No. 9 UCLA football team hosts Michigan State for its annual homecoming game at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 24. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:37 p.m. PT on CBS. The undefeated Bruins (6-0, 4-0 Big Ten) and Spartans (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten) will meet in Pasadena for the first time since the 1966 Rose Bowl Game, when UCLA earned its first Rose Bowl victory.
Fans can purchase tickets for Saturday’s contest at this LINK.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena, Calif.)
Kickoff Time: 12:37 p.m. PT
Television: CBS
TV Talent: Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Charles Davis (analyst), Jenny Dell (sideline)
Local Radio (UCLA Audio Network): KABC-AM 790
Local Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Matt Stevens (analyst), Wayne Cook (sideline)
SiriusXM: Radio (Ch. 85), App (Ch. 85)
HOMECOMING FESTIVITIES
UCLA will wear its baby blue throwbacks inspired by its 1954 national championship team. They are also the same uniforms the Bruins wore during their first Rose Bowl Game victory over Michigan State in 1966. Spieker Field will feature a classic look, with diamonds in the end zone and a throwback logo at midfield. UCLA will be honoring its 1965 team to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its victory over Michigan State in the 1966 Rose Bowl Game.
UCLA will also recognize the 2026 UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame Class at halftime. The members of the Class of 2026 are: Garrett Atkins (baseball), Kris Farris (football), Sam Mewis (women's soccer), Andre Phillips (men's track & field), Kelly Reeves (beach volleyball/women's volleyball), Matt Reis (men's soccer), Michael Sealy (men's volleyball/women's volleyball coach), Sam Storey (football) and Earl Watson (men's basketball).
RANKINGS RECOGNITION
UCLA, one of six remaining unbeaten teams, has risen from No. 23 to No. 9 in the Associated Press poll over the last four weeks. The Bruins’ No. 9 ranking entering this Saturday’s contest is their highest since Week 11 of the 2022 season (No. 9). UCLA is also bowl eligible for the first time since the 2023 season.
LAST TIME OUT
UCLA defeated Wisconsin, 17-7, last week at Rose Bowl Stadium behind a career performance from quarterback Ty Dieffenbach. Making his first career FBS start, the Calabasas, Calif., native completed 22 of 33 passes for a career-high 264 yards. His most frequent target was Semaj Morgan, whose five catches went for a career-best 84 yards.
On defense, UCLA held Wisconsin to 66 passing yards, marking the second time this season UCLA has held an opponent below 100. Fifth-year linebacker Jalen Woods led UCLA with nine total tackles, including a half-sack. Sophomore outside linebacker Scott Taylor registered a career-high 1.5 sacks in the contest.
KNIGHT’S HISTORIC START
Fifth-year running back Wayne Knight ranks second in FBS with 12.0 points per game, fifth with 12 total touchdowns and 10th with 139.50 all-purpose yards per game. After scoring his 11th rushing touchdown of the season last week, Knight became the first Bruin to score at least one rushing touchdown in each of the first six games of a season since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2005.
Knight has been recognized by the Paul Hornung Award after four of UCLA’s six games this season, winning National Player of the Week honors three times.
STRONG FINISHERS
UCLA has dominated the second half this season, outscoring its opponents 125-50 (+75) in the final 30 minutes. Only once have the Bruins been outscored by a team in the second half this season (at Oregon, 9-7).
The Bruins have been especially dominant in the fourth quarter, outscoring opponents 90-26 (+64). UCLA leads the FBS in points per game (15.0) and scoring margin (+10.7) in the fourth quarter.
ELITE RUN GAME
UCLA leads the Big Ten with 231.0 rushing yards per game and 21 rushing touchdowns and ranks second with 5.63 yards per carry. UCLA is averaging 3.5 rushing touchdowns per game, putting the Bruins on pace for 42 over a 12-game regular season. That would match the 1976 team for the second-most in program history, behind the school-record 56 scored in 1973.
CHESNEY ERA
Bob Chesney is the first UCLA head coach in program history to start his tenure in Westwood with a 6-0 record. He passed College Football Hall of Famer Henry ‘Red’ Sanders, who started his first season at UCLA with a 4-0 record in 1949.
Chesney was hired as the 20th head coach in UCLA football history on Dec. 6, 2025. He arrived in Westwood after two successful seasons at James Madison from 2024-25, guiding the Dukes to a 21-6 record and numerous historic firsts. His 2025 team recorded just the 10th unbeaten conference record in Sun Belt history, going 8-0, and captured the program’s first Sun Belt Conference championship and College Football Playoff berth.
Chesney owns a career record of 138-52 (.726) in his 17th season as a head coach. The Kulpmont, Pa., native has directed five programs across four levels of college football: Division III, Division II, FCS and FBS. Twenty-six staff members (seven coaches and 19 support staff members) and 10 student-athletes followed Chesney from Harrisonburg, Va., to Westwood.
SAMMY-O
Senior linebacker Sammy Omosigho is the FBS leader with five forced fumbles and Big Ten leader with 5.33 solo tackles per game. He’s also fifth in the league in tackles for loss (7.5) and sixth in total tackles per game (8.3).
Omosigho was named one of 16 Lott IMPACT Trophy quarterfinalists on Oct. 15. He is also listed on the Chuck Bednarik Award and Butkus Award watch lists.
WATCH THIS DUO ON SUNDAYS
Senior Sammy Omosigho and fifth-year Jalen Woods have blossomed into two of the top linebackers in the nation this season. Omosigho and Woods lead all Big Ten duos and rank fifth among FBS duos with a combined 9.50 solo tackles per game. UCLA is the only program to have two different linebackers (Omosigho and Woods) named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
Woods has posted six of the finest performances of his college career this season. He has paced the Bruins in tackles in each of the last two games and co-leads the squad alongside Omosigho with 50 stops on the year.
SERIES HISTORY
This Saturday's contest will mark the eighth all-time meeting between UCLA and Michigan State. The Bruins lead the all-time series over the Spartans, 4-3, dating back to 1954.
UCLA and Michigan State have squared off in the annual Rose Bowl Game three times (1954, 1956 and 1966). The Bruins first Rose Bowl Game victory was a 14-12 upset over the No. 1-ranked Spartans in 1966. This Saturday's showdown will mark the first meeting at Rose Bowl Stadium between these two teams since that 1966 game.
UCLA TICKET INFORMATION
Season ticket packages and single-game tickets for the 2026 UCLA football season are available. Fans can call (310) 206-5991 or email tickets@athletics.ucla.edu for more information.