All eyes will be on this marquee Pac-12 matchup on Saturday as the #11 ranked Utah Utes travel to Pasadena to take on the #18 ranked UCLA Bruins. It is time to take an exclusive peek at our College Football odds series, where our Utah-UCLA prediction and pick will be unveiled.
After dropping their season-opening game to Florida in what proved to be a tough loss in Gainesville, the Utes have rebounded nicely with four consecutive wins and have pushed themselves back into the national conversation. With a chance to still reach the College Football Playoff if they can run the table and stand alone as Pac-12 Champs, a win against the undefeated Bruins on the road would further bolster Utah's playoff resume.
While many college football experts expected UCLA to have a decent season in year 5 of the Chip Kelly project. Fast forward more than a month into the regular season, and the Bruins are sitting at an imposing 5-0 record, which is their best start since the 2012 season. Not to mention, but the Bruins have also won eight consecutive games dating back to last year and have all of a sudden risen to being a possible contender in the Pac-12.
Here are the Utah-UCLA college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Utah-UCLA Odds
Utah: -3.5 (-105)
UCLA: +3.5 (-115)
Over: 64.5 (-110)
Under: 64.5 (-110)
Why Utah Could Cover The Spread
No matter what occurs in the always-evolving landscape of college football, Utah's physical brand of football has been a winning formula under head coach Kyle Whittingham for many years now. Clearly, it has been this type of play that gives the Utes an opportunity to match up well with anyone they line up across.
In their latest 42-16 win over Oregon State, the Utes were able to force four Beavers turnovers which gave the offense more chances to punch it into the end zone. Faced with a much tougher challenge against the Bruins on Saturday, the Utes have to account for UCLA's speed by swarming to the ball and forcing them to make rash decisions. Be on the lookout for one of the best cover corners in all of college football in Clark Phillips II, who has the most interceptions in the nation with four already. In a game that will most likely be a one-score contest, coming up with turnovers will be huge.
Additionally, Utah maintained a healthy balanced attack through the air and on the ground, which furthermore gave the Beavers fits. The Utes rarely shoot themselves in the foot with self-inflicted mistakes, as they are led by one of the more rock-steady quarterbacks in the nation in Cam Rising. With Rising at the helm, opposing defenses are forced to respect not only Utah's powerful running game but their ability to stretch the field vertically as well. The loss of star tight end Brant Kuithe to a knee injury is a big blow, but Utah will be just fine in covering the spread if they can mix up their looks offensively and play smash-mouth football.
Why UCLA Could Cover The Spread
One of the biggest surprises in all of college football, the UCLA Bruins can officially make their case as one of the west coast's best teams with a spread-covering win at home against Utah. Believe it or not, this Bruins offensive attack that is currently under Chip Kelly's leadership may be one of the more dynamic offenses that he has had the privilege of coaching, and that is saying something considering how masterful he was during his days up in Eugene.
Using experience and veteran leadership to their advantage, the Bruins are coming off an impressive 40-32 win over Washington in which they would love to replicate. Led by the phenomenal Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center, UCLA is a difficult slowdown. Through five games, “DTR” was the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and has the nation's fourth-best completion percentage (74.3%) and is also 12th in passing efficiency (171.4).
Furthermore, the Bruins are equipped with an NFL-caliber back in Zach Charbonnet, as the senior halfback is fresh off of a season-high 124 rushing yards. Feeding Charbonnet the rock and letting him create some magic on the ground will be beneficiary for the men donning the powder blue and gold, as UCLA has gone 10-0 whenever their playmaking running back goes over the century mark.
Meanwhile, the biggest difference maker may not come from an offense that is averaging 506 yards per game, but instead at the linebacker position on defense in junior Laiatu Latu. At 6'4″, 265 pounds, Latu is a human wrecking ball with a Pac-12 leading six sacks and also has accounted for six and a half tackles for loss.
Final Utah-UCLA Prediction & Pick
The next couple of weeks will say a lot about each team as both Utah and UCLA will be in the midst of a challenging stretch over the course of their upcoming few games. Although Utah has won the last five matchups in this series by a combined score of 234-99, this Bruins squad has a different feel to them. Put your faith in Chip Kelly and UCLA to muster up enough offense to cover the spread as the home team.
Final Utah-UCLA Prediction & Pick: UCLA +3.5 (-115)
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