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The final season of the Pac-12 Conference as we know it marches on as the Colorado Buffaloes head to the Rose Bowl for one concluding matchup against the UCLA Bruins for the foreseeable future. Check out our college football odds series where our Colorado-UCLA prediction and pick will be revealed.
Ooof. It's been two weeks since Colorado's historically epic second-half collapse against Stanford and the chances of becoming bowl-eligible for the Buffs have arguably become more difficult since. At 4-3, Colorado will need to find two more wins on the schedule with five games remaining to achieve a bowl bid. Nevertheless, Coach Prime and his staff have sworn that the team will be ready for play this weekend in Pasadena, and a much better outing will need to be in store to shock the Bruins on the road.
Entering play with a #23 ranking in the AP Top 25 Poll, we last saw the UCLA Bruins a week ago take down the Stanford Cardinal by a score of 42-7 and pull off what CU could not do a week prior in taking care of business versus a lesser opponent. With their eyes on a legitimate bowl game and with the chance of sneaking into the Pac-12 Championship picture by possibly winning out, the Bruins need to be at their best against a Buffaloes squad who is hungry to avenge themselves!
Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Colorado-UCLA Odds
Colorado: +15.5 (-110)
UCLA: -15.5 (-110)
Over: 60.5 (-115)
Under: 60.5 (-105)
How to Watch Colorado vs. UCLA Week 9
Time: 7:30 ET/4:30 PT
TV: ABC
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Colorado Will Cover The Spread
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Yes, the second half versus Stanford was as dreadful, embarrassing, and appalling as it gets, but a new week coming off a bye will provide Colorado with a tremendous chance to get back on track heading into the final month of the regular season. Above all else, the biggest advantage that CU has in this upcoming matchup with UCLA is their ability in the passing game and the amount of weapons that the Buffs have on the outside. Indeed, QB Shedeur Sanders is one of the top throwers of the football in all of America and possesses the type of resiliency that is hard to come by at any level of football. With an excellent deep ball combined with slipperiness in the pocket, a dynamic game from Sanders will need to be in effect to defeat UCLA and cover the spread in the process.
In addition, but the return of Travis Hunter against Stanford especially on the offensive side of the ball proved to be just what the doctor ordered. Despite the loss, Hunter amassed 13 catches for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns and simply was un-guardable when running his routes. Truly, the sophomore two-way star is possibly the most electrifying playmaker in all of college football and could be a major problem for the Bruins on Saturday.
All in all, if CU plays like they did against Stanford in the first half, then this will be a competitive ballgame. However, CU has not played a complete game since Week 1 against TCU and this defense has more holes in it than Swiss cheese. Will they be able to get enough stops and give the offense more possessions to do damage? Only time will tell.
Why UCLA Will Cover The Spread
In an ultra-competitive Pac-12 Conference that remains one of the best leagues that college football has to offer, UCLA has impressed, to say the least. While they are not undefeated nor are they in contention for the College Football Playoff, the Bruins are 17 pointy favorites ahead of this weekend, and for good reason.
For starters, the UCLA Bruins will be eyeing their second straight win, and to accomplish this, another strong effort from veteran QB Ethan Garbers will need to be in order. After taking over for scuffling freshman Dante Moore, Garbers dialed up 240 passing yards through the air and was even able to connect with his receivers for a couple of touchdowns. Overall, the junior field general from Newport Beach faces a favorable matchup against a below-average Colorado pass defense that is known for giving up big chunk plays in the aerial game. In fact, the Buffaloes are allowing a hefty 316 yards per game which ranks near the bottom in all of FBS. Simply put, getting into a rhythm on passing down will be critical.
Not to mention, this team knows how to generate turnovers as they own the fourth-best takeaway margin in the country. Since Colorado often struggles running the ball, coming up with some key interceptions off of Shedeur Sanders could be the difference between covering and not in this one.
Final Colorado-UCLA Prediction & Pick
This one is going to be a lot closer than many think, and Coach Prime will have the troops ready to compete at the Rose Bowl. While winning outright is going to be difficult, expect the Buffaloes to come down to the wire with the Bruins.
Final Colorado-UCLA Prediction & Pick: Colorado +15.5 (-110)
