The Pittsburgh Panthers will take on the UCLA Bruins in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas. It’s time to continue our college football odds series with a Pittsburgh-UCLA prediction and pick.
Pittsburgh has quietly become an annual contender in the ACC, finishing the regular season at 8-4. In conference play, the Panthers went 5-3, ending on a four-game winning streak. Head coach Pat Narduzzi has taken the Panthers to six bowl games in his eight seasons.
UCLA finished the regular season at 9-3, going 6-3 in Pac-12 play. Upset victories over Washington and Utah highlighted the regular season. Head coach Chip Kelly has done well to rebuild the Bruins, guiding the team to their second straight bowl appearance.
Here are the Pittsburgh-UCLA college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Sun Bowl Odds: Pittsburgh-UCLA Odds
Pittsburgh Panthers: +7.5 (-115)
UCLA Bruins: -7.5 (-105)
Over: 53.5 (-110)
Under: 53.5 (-110)
Why Pittsburgh Could Cover The Spread
Starting quarterback Kedon Slovis has transferred, likely leaving the offense to Nick Patti, who has thrown for 79 yards and a touchdown in parts of two games. The bad news keeps coming for the Panthers, as they have lost leading rusher Israel Abanikanda and his 20 touchdowns to an opt-out. Rodney Hammond, Jr., Vincent Davis, and C'Bo Flemister have combined for six touchdowns in limited roles. The Panthers have rushed for 2,175 yards and 28 touchdowns on the ground, while the Bruins are allowing 124.2 rushing yards per game.
Leading receiver Jared Wayne is listed atop the team's depth chart despite some secrecy from Narduzzi. Wayne led the team with 1,012 receiving yards and five touchdowns. The receiver room has mostly stayed intact ahead of the bowl, with Jaden Bradley (two touchdowns in six games) the only significant absence. The Panthers have averaged 30.8 points and 402.5 yards of offense per game.
On defense, the Panthers have allowed 23.4 points and 319.7 yards of offense per game. Unfortunately, the Panthers lost a ton of production to opt-out, injury, and transfer ahead of this matchup. Still, the overall product was productive, with 45 sacks and 10 interceptions.
Why UCLA Could Cover The Spread
The Bruins seem to have lucked out, as star quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson will likely play. DTR was once again dominant, completing 69.8 percent of his passes for 2,883 yards with 25 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. On the ground, Thompson-Robinson ranks second with 631 yards and 11 touchdowns. Leading rusher Zach Charbonnet will play in this one, finishing the regular season with 1,359 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Bruins have accumulated 2,956 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns as a team. The Panthers have allowed just 95.5 rushing yards per game to their opponents.
Jake Bobo, the Duke transfer, will also play after leading the team with 789 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Three other Bruins rank second with three receiving touchdowns. No contributors opted out ahead of the Sun Bowl. The Bruins have averaged an insane 39.6 points and 507.8 yards of offense per game.
The defense has not been as strong for the Bruins, allowing 28.3 points and 399.8 yards of offense per game. While Patti is experienced in years (redshirt senior), he has hardly played in his career. The Bruins can take advantage of that with their pass rush, which totaled 27 sacks. A strong Pitt offensive line was impacted with two starting tackles opting out.
Final Pittsburgh-UCLA Prediction & Pick
Ultimately, the opt-outs will just be too much for Pitt to overcome. The UCLA offense is a daunting task for any defense.
Final Pittsburgh-UCLA Prediction & Pick: UCLA -7.5 (-105), over 53.5 (-110)
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