UCLA vs. Utah Spread Prediction
The Utah Utes are laying double-digit points to a UCLA Bruins team that looks to be rounding into form under Chip Kelly. Will the Utes cover that big spread as a road favorite when these Pac-12 teams meet at 10:30 p.m. ET?
Game Snapshot
119 Utah Utes at 120 UCLA Bruins
10:30 p.m. ET, Friday, October 26
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Utes are 10.5-point favorites to beat the Bruins. The total, meanwhile, sits at 54.5 points. As of this writing, 68% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Utes.
Utah Utes
Utah junior QB Tyler Huntley completed 22-of-29 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns in Saturday’s 41-24 win over USC. The 341 passing yards and four passing touchdown tied career highs. Huntley also ran for 33 yards and a touchdown to put the cherry on top of a great performance where he averaged 11.75 yards per pass attempt. The Trojans had zero answers defensively, and the game was essentially over when J.T. Daniels (concussion) left the game. Utah now moves into first place in the PAC 12 South, but they need to take care of business against UCLA next week to keep it that way.
UCLA Bruins
UCLA freshman QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (shoulder) returned to throwing drills on Tuesday. “Thompson-Robinson throwing this morning with some juice on the ball,” Bolch wrote. “Big improvement.” No kidding. Bolch’s last dispatch from Sunday noted that DTR “could only short-arm two meek overhand passes… before reverting to an underhand technique.” Thompson-Robinson landed awkwardly on his throwing shoulder on Saturday while getting sacked by Arizona’s Colin Schooler. If he can’t heal by Friday, Wilton Speight would draw the start against Utah.
Betting Trends
Utah
The Utes are 16-5 against the spread in their last 21 games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
UCLA
The Bruins are 5-17 against the spread in their last 22 games after allowing more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
Prediction
The Utes erased a 14-0 deficit versus USC last week thanks to a red-hot Huntley, who was 22-of-29 for 341 yards and four touchdowns in Utah’s come-from-behind victory. UCLA also got its second win in a row but Arizona held a 520-460 yard edge in that game, including 289-153 on the ground. The difference in that game was turnovers, as the Wildcats gave the ball to the Bruins on three separate occasions. UCLA still only won by a point. While this is a big number to lay with a road team playing on short rest, I think Utah is highly underrated and its defense should shut down Speight.
College Football Prediction: Utah Utes -10.5