The UCLA Bruins welcome in the Stanford Cardinal in college football action today. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. (EST) start time and it will be televised live no ABC. Currently the odds for the game have the Bruins favored at home by about a touchdown in this one.
UCLA is just a couple of games away from playing in a major bowl game and potentially winning the Pac-12. The Bruins need to pick up a win over the Cardinal in this contest before probably playing the Oregon Ducks in the tile game. It might not be possible for UCLA to jump all the way into the college football playoff sitting in the ninth position, but they're going to give it a pretty good shot.
Stanford has not had a typical season, already losing five games. At the time of their defeats, though, every team was ranked in the Top 25 when they beat Stanford, with four of those losses coming inside the conference. This could be another example of the Cardinal falling to a better team and one that is ranked.
If UCLA comes into the game focused on the task at hand, they're going to be very tough to beat. Brett Hundley might not be a finalist for the Heisman Trohpy but he has played very well this season. He's accounted for 28 touchdowns to date this season and better than 3,400 all-purpose yards. UCLA will want to establish the run in this one as they average better than 208 yards on the ground per game. Paul Perkins totes the rock at nearly six yards per carry himself for the Bruins, piling up better than 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns this year.
Stanford has actually had some decent defense this year, allowing opponents to score just 16.5 points per game. That ranks seventh-best nationally. Defense hasn't necessarily been the problem for the Cardinal, who have held UCLA, Notre Dame and Utah under 21 points — despite losing all three of those games. Kevin Hogan and the offense need to be better against UCLA, but they are playing without Ty Montgomery, which will hinder their ability to move the football effectively.
UCLA has a lot going for it and picking up a win here would put them at 10 wins. UCLA is the better team, in a rivalry game, at home, but they'll get it done.
Free Pick: UCLA 30, Stanford 21
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