The No. 7 Lions are in the final stage of preparation mode, the toughest and most telling part of their 2024 Big Ten schedule about to launch. Next weekend is their cross-country trip to Top 20 USC. Then, an excursion to Wisconsin’s rabid Camp Randall Stadium. After that, the showdown with the all-powerful Ohio State Buckeyes.

So what can Penn State football gain from today’s expected beatdown of the UCLA Bruins?

The Lions are a four-touchdown favorite against this 1-3 team that struggles mightily on offense and defense. They come to town with a gimpy starting quarterback (sacked four times last week vs. Oregon) and not much hope of energizing their rebuilding script.

The Lions, on the other hand, will be in clean-up mode. They’ll try to fix their mysterious penalty issues and tighten their wobbly placekicking. It should be a day to keep their starters loose and focused before resting them on the sideline as quickly as possible. A time for getting their top backups into prime fighting shape.