It is time to continue our college football odds series with an Indiana-UCLA prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Indiana UCLA.
The Indiana Hoosiers might have found the right head coach. Tom Allen just couldn't maintain any momentum after IU lost just one game in the 2020 regular season and came close to winning a Big Ten championship. His tenure came to an end in 2023. IU hired Curt Cignetti, the very successful head coach at James Madison who handled the Dukes' smooth transition from the FCS to the FBS. Cignetti was 52-9 in five seasons at James Madison. He never lost more than three games in any of those five seasons. He did not lose more than two games in four of the five seasons. He went 31-4 in conference games over those five seasons. He crushed it at JMU.
Through two games at Indiana, the results look promising. IU has outscored its two opponents by a combined total of 108 points to 10 — plus 98 points in two football games. Yes, it's only two games, and one of them was against Western Illinois, an FCS school, but if Indiana fans were looking for signs of improvement, they're finding them. Indiana scored 77 points against Western Illinois. It is very rare that IU has scored that many points against anyone, ever. Cupcake or not, Indiana functioned very smoothly and has the earmarks of a well-coached team which is responding to its new coaching staff and is showing that it is receptive and open to good teaching and communication. Cignetti's operation looks very professional, enough to make Indiana an outright favorite on the road at UCLA in the Big Ten season opener for both teams.
UCLA played a very shaky season opener against Hawaii on Aug. 31, trailing for a good portion of the game before rallying for a 16-13 win on a last-minute field goal. The Bruins' offense struggled for most of the game against a Hawaii defense which does not seem to have especially imposing size or overwhelming athleticism. UCLA walked away from the game 1-0 instead of 0-1, but the Bruins can't be very encouraged by what they saw. First-year head coach DeShaun Foster has to get a significant level of improvement from this game if UCLA is going to knock off Indiana in this Big Ten contest.
Here are the Indiana-UCLA College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Indiana-UCLA Odds
Indiana: -3.5 (+100)
Moneyline: -156
UCLA: +3.5 (-122)
Moneyline: +130
Over: 46.5 (-110)
Under: 46.5 (-110)
How to Watch Indiana vs UCLA
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT
TV: NBC, Peacock
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Indiana Could Cover The Spread/Win
Curt Cignetti looks like the real deal in the coaching world. He just wins wherever he goes, and in two games, he has Indiana playing quality football. The Hoosiers have given up exactly one scoring drive in each of their first two games. They have scored at least 31 points in each of their first two games. If they come anywhere close to that level of success against UCLA on offense and defense, they will obviously win and will almost certainly cover the small spread. UCLA does not look good. Indiana should be able to control this game in the trenches.
Why UCLA Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Bruins just needed to shake loose the rust and get used to their new coaching staff against Hawaii in Week 1. There are no preseason games in college football, so season openers tend to be ragged and uneven. UCLA has had two weeks to knock off the rust and polish itself up for this game. The Bruins, playing at home on national TV, will be ready. They can lose by a field goal and still cover. There's a great chance that will be the final outcome: Indiana 16, UCLA 13. Bruins cover.
Final Indiana-UCLA Prediction & Pick
Indiana minus-3.5 points against UCLA looks like one of the very best bets of Week 3. We love Cignetti and are very concerned about DeShaun Foster. One coaching staff looks a lot better than the other. Take Indiana.
Final Indiana-UCLA Prediction & Pick: Indiana -3.5