The UCLA Bruins host the BYU Cougars in college football action Saturday night in a Top 25 matchup. The game is scheduled for a 10:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on FOX Sports 1. Currently the college football odds for the game have the Bruins favored by a big margin to pick up the win.
BYU has Michigan on deck next week, UCLA has Arizona. Both of those games will be on the road for these respective ranked teams, will that make this game a better matchup? UCLA has looked strong in their opening two games of the year, beating Virginia and UNLV while BYU comes in off two dramatic wins over Nebraska and Boise State. The three-score spread in this one seems like a bit much, especially with BYU looking to control the time of possession and make their drives have some substance. But at this point, after two straight wins over power conference teams, will BYU’s luck run out?
The Bruins have won seven of the 10 matchups in this series all-time, but these schools haven’t met on the field since the 2007 season. This will certainly be a tough task for Bronco Mendenhall’s team, having to get up a third straight game against a power conference team as an underdog is not going to be easy.
Cougar QB Tanner Mangum has been entertaining and while not having the best numbers, he still has led his team to victory in a tough spot. BYU has not been amazing offensively, but they are still finding ways to win.
UCLA, on the other hand, has gotten great quarterback play from freshman Josh Rosen, who has completed 65 percent of his passes and has thrown for four TDs. Paul Perkins has been effective coming out of the backfield as well for the Bruins, averaging 6.6 yards per attempt with a couple of touchdowns.
Both offenses have done what’s necessary, but UCLA’s defense has played better overall. Their two first opponents helped make that a bit easier, which is why grabbing the points here with BYU seems like the best option.
Free Pick: BYU and the points
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