Colorado vs. UCLA Pick
Will UCLA be able to stand strong at home when it takes on Colorado this Saturday at 10:30PM ET? Here’s our prediction for the contest.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, UCLA is favored at home in this game, as the Bruins are getting odds of -7 points against Colorado. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 68.5 points. UCLA has won five of the last six in this series, but the losing team has covered the spread in the last four encounters. Saturday’s game takes place from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California and will air live on ESPN2.
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Colorado fell to 3-1 on the season and 0-1 in the Pac-12 with a 37-10 loss to Washington at home last week. The game didn’t carry a line at kickoff, so Colorado is 1-2 against the spread. Colorado has a solid defense, allowing just 16 points and 341.8 yards per game, including only 199.5 passing yards per contest. On offense, Colorado is putting up 26.3 points and 413.8 yards per game. Quarterback Steven Montez has thrown for 1,029 yards and six touchdowns, but also has six interceptions. Phillip Lindsay has run for 446 yards and four touchdowns to lead the offense.
UCLA is coming off a 58-34 loss at Stanford last week to fall to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the Pac-12. The Bruins are just 1-3 against the spread this season. The Bruins have plenty of offense, as they average 45 points and 571.8 yards per game on offense. That includes 451.8 passing yards per contest. Josh Rosen has thrown for 1,763 yards and 16 touchdowns with four interceptions. Darren Andrews and Caleb Wilson have combined for 64 receptions for 882 yards and eight touchdowns. Leading rusher Soso Jamabo missed last week’s game with an undisclosed injury and is questionable for Saturday as well. He has run for 146 yards on 19 carries this season. Defensively, UCLA is among the worst in the nation. The Bruins are giving up 43.3 points and 524.8 yards per contest, including 307.5 rushing yards per game.
These two are accustomed to competitive games. The road team is 4-1 against the spread in the last five of the series and the underdog has also covered in the last four meetings. Saturday will feature strength vs. strength and weakness vs. weakness. The UCLA offense is tough to stop, but Colorado’s pass defense is pretty solid. The Buffaloes don’t offer much on offense, but UCLA hasn’t been able to stop anyone this season. Either way, I think Colorado finds a way to keep this game tight.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: COLORADO +7