Jim Mora Jr. is coaching one of the top teams in America, but he has already noticed some glaring problems for his UCLA Bruins. With as crazy as the Pac-12 has the potential to be this year, it would be irresponsible to think that the Arizona State Sun Devils don't have at least somewhat of a shot at pulling off an upset.
WHEN THE ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS HAVE THE BALL
Todd Graham has a team which isn't really all that innovative right now offensively. Demario Richard gets the ball in his hands a ton, as he leads the team with 429 rushing yards and is one of the top receivers as well with 10 catches and 185 yards.
Mike Bercovici does have seven touchdowns against just two picks, and he is certainly going to throw for 3,000 yards this year if he stays healthy, but he hasn't been effective with his deep balls, and his completion percentage in games against good teams has been woeful.
So yes, take 35 points against Cal Poly and 34 against New Mexico as decent results, but the big problem is that the Sun Devils only scored 17 and 14 in more comparable games against Texas A&M and USC.
UCLA's run defense was atrocious last week against Arizona, allowing a pair of 100+ yard rushers. Bercovici isn't going to be leaving the pocket all the time, but Richard, fresh off of a pair of 100+ yard games, could be a big factor. If he is keeping the ball moving, not only is the clock going to run quite a bit to promote the under, but the Sun Devils could have a shot at staying in front of the numbers for live bettors, too.
WHEN THE UCLA BRUINS HAVE THE BALL
It's easy to forget that Josh Rosen is indeed still just a freshman, and he is going to make some freshman mistakes at times. Live bettors are going to have to live and die by the kid and what he pulls off.
Two weeks ago, Rosen threw three picks against BYU and threw for just 106 yards. He followed that up by putting 56 on the board against Arizona last week. Hit and miss.
The man who isn't hit and miss in this offense is Paul Perkins, who has over 600 yards from scrimmage already in four games.
The Sun Devils did let the Aggies run for 178 yards, but against USC, the one thing that went well was the rush defense. The Trojans only managed 76 yards on 32 carries. The bad news? When the ground game was stopped, Cody Kessler went off for 375 yards and five TDs.
In short, we're not sure there's much ASU is going to be able to do defensively to slow down this UCLA outfit.
TREND TO TRACK
Graham might have the Sun Devils trending in the right direction, but there are some problems for sure that he has to overcome. Live bettors need to keep in mind the fact that ASU is 15-35-3 ATS in its last 43 games on the road against teams with winning home records.
More recently, the Sun Devils are 0-4 ATS in their last four on the road overall.
BookMaker opened the college football spread for this Saturday game before anyone else on the internet. The UCLA Bruins opened at -14 alongside a total of 57.5. In-game spreads, totals, moneylines and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker's new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here, and start wagering today! The battle between the Arizona State Sun Devils and the UCLA Bruins will kick off Saturday, October 3, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Rose Bowl Stadium. The contest will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
