The UCLA Bruins take on the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field on Friday night in the opening game of the PAC-12 Conference season.
Following their loss to Fresno State last week, the Bruins remain as the only team in the PAC-12 South without a win. On the other hand, the Colorado Buffaloes stand on top of the conference as the only unbeaten team at 3-0.
The Bruins’ have opened the season at 0-3 for the first time since 1971. UCLA head coach Chip Kelly has taken plenty of heat for the Bruins’ winless start to their 2018 campaign. Even UCLA’s freshman starting quarterback’s father has taken to social media to criticize the Bruins’ bench tactician.
Kelly’s decision to starting Michigan graduate transfer Wilton Speight on opening night and his move to insert freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson when Speight got injured has also forced backup quarterback Devon Modster to announce that he is transferring. Modster started for the Bruins final two games in 2017 when Josh Rosen was hurt. In total, 13 of UCLA’s 41 blue chip recruits since 2014 have transferred since Kelly took over from Jim Mora. That’s not a good sign for any program.
It does not get better on the field for UCLA. Their offense has produced a paltry 17.3 points per game, 123rd in the country, and is averaging just a total of 320 offensive yards per game. On the other hand, their defense is giving up 400 yards and 37.7 points per game.
The Colorado Buffaloes enter Friday’s contest with an eye on the Top-25 rankings. The Buffaloes received 83 votes to place at 26th in the latest poll but a win over the Bruins could easily put them inside the Top 25 next week.
Colorado is off to a great start, winning their first three games. The Buffaloes sit atop the PAC-12 West as the only unbeaten team in the conference. They rank 27th in the nation in passing at 289.7 yards per game and are 44th overall in rushing at 204.3 yards per contest.
Junior quarterback Steven Montez is the key to Colorado’s offense. Montez has thrown for 855 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions through three games played. Montez has thrown for over 300 yards in two out of Colorado’s first three games to establish himself as one of the PAC-12’s top playcallers early in the season.
UCLA is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games and 0-5 SU in their last 5 games on the road. Interestingly though, the Bruins are 6-1 SU when playing against the Colorado Buffaloes. On the other hand, Colorado is 12-4 SU in their last 16 games at home.
Sure, the Bruins have won six of their last seven meetings including two out of the last three at Folsom Field. But the Buffaloes are a different team this year and are playing much better. Colorado has the 28th best defense in the nation, allowing just 18.3 points per game. They are also putting up an average of 41 points per game this season. We’re backing the home team here. We’re picking Colorado to beat UCLA on 9/28/18.
UCLA is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games and 2-6 ATS in their last 8 road games. Against Colorado, the UCLA Bruins are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games. Meanwhile, the Buffaloes are only 1-6 ATS in their last seven home games. But as previously stated, Colorado is a Top-25 team this season.
The Buffaloes have one of the best defenses in the nation and they should have a field day against a UCLA offense which is ranked 123rd in the league and averaging just 17.3 points per game. Colorado should cover this spread rather easily. Prediction: Colorado -9.5
The total has gone over five times in the last seven games played by UCLA and the over is 6-2 in the Bruins’ last eight games played in the month of September. On the other side, the total has gone over in Colorado’s last four games and 5-2 in the Buffaloes last seven conference games.
Colorado is lighting up the scoreboards by averaging over 40 points per game in their first three games of the season. Against a UCLA defense that is allowing 37.7 points per game over the same period, that is an open invitation to put up plenty of points. Prediction: Over 60.5
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