Saturday College football and we will see the UCLA Bruins travel to the East Coast to take on the Virginia Cavaliers. The game has a start time of 12:00 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on ESPN. Current Vegas odds have UCLA listed as 19.5 point favorites, while the total is set at 55.
Analysis: Jim Mora has changed the culture of the UCLA Bruins, by guiding then to a 9-5 and a 10-3 season in his first 2 years, after they had losing seasons in 4 of their previous 5 years. QB Brett Hundley liked the look of this team heading into this year and turn down being a sure fire 1st round NFL draft pick to stay at UCLA for his senior season. Last year he threw for 3071 yards, with 24 TDs and just 9 INTs, while also leading the team in rushing, with 748 yards and another 11 TDs. Along with Hundley, the Bruins have a RB by committee approach and the next 3 rushers all return, with the 3 combining for 18 TDs, while Devin Fuller, who had 43 receptions for 471 yards and 4 TDs last year, returns to lead a talented WR corps. The defense has 23 letterman, including 8 starters back on this side of the ball, plus a solid incoming crop. Replacing Anthony Barr (20 TFL LY) will not be easy, but this LB corps will still be very good and are led by Myles Jack, who was both defensive and offensive rookie of the year last year.
The Virginia Cavaliers went to a bowl game in 2011, but have since gone 6-18 the last two years, despite the fact that they have had some solid recruiting classes. The Cavaliers ranked 109th in scoring last year, putting up 19.8 ppg, and if they hope to move forward then offensive improvement is a must. David Watford struggled at the QB spot last year, so it looks as if Greyson Lambert will take over this year. The top 2 WR’s are gone from last year, but 5 players return that caught at last 23 passes, while Kevin Parks, who had 1031 yards and 11 TD’s on the ground last year, leads a deep stable of RB’s. The defense has struggled the last few years, but with 9 starters back and two huge recruits, this is the best defense that the Cavs have had in a while. DL Andrew Brown and DB Quin Blanding were both rated in the top 3 at their postions in high school last year and will both help this team right away.
Pick: I really like the Under in this game. This is a tough travel spot for the Bruins and that should also mean so sluggish play. After all their will be playing at 9am west coast time. This will also be taking on a Virginia team that looks to have one of the better defenses in the ACC. The have 27 of 32 lettermen back on that side of the ball, with 9 of them being starters and have added some solid depth as well. The Cavs have to look to their defense to win games, because their offense just will not do much damage this year. They are also not a hurry up type of offense and will look to run the ball with an outstanding group of RBs. Running the ball also keeps the potent UCLA offense off the field as well. The Bruins are not all about offense, as they have 8 starters back from a defense that allowed just 23.2 ppg last year. This defense rates 2nd best in the Pac-12.
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for Football Season with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!
College Football Free Picks: Central Florida vs Penn State
What college football bettors need to know about betting Central Florida vs Penn State on Saturday (8/30/14) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Scott Spreitzer with added insight from Steve Fezzik.