A big one is set to go down in the Pac-12 South on Saturday night when the UCLA Bruins and Arizona Wildcats go at one another in hopes of logging their second conference win of the season. Jim Mora’s kids will have had a couple weeks to get prepared for this one, so a much better effort is expected than the one put forth at Stanford in their Pac-12 road opener. Arizona will enter with confidence after going into Boulder and shocking the Buffaloes as 7-point underdogs.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 7 game is set for Saturday, October 14, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at Arizona Stadium. This game will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Network.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
UCLA PK
Arizona PK
O/U 74.5
Odds Analysis
There hasn’t been a ton of movement with the side, but there has been some nonetheless even though the handle is 50/50 in early week betting. UCLA is now a 1.5-point road chalk which is to be expected with Josh Rosen a candidate for this year’s Heisman Trophy. Kind of surprising with the Bruins being nothing but money burners early on in covering only one of their first five games. Maybe they’re due? It wouldn’t be surprising to see more believers hop aboard and push the betting line to -3.
Regardless of whomever wins the game, college football bettors are expecting a bunch of points to hit the scoreboard on Saturday night. Better than 63 percent of the handle has hit the over ultimately pushing the game total up to 79.5 from the 74.5-point opener. There’s obviously no respect given to Arizona’s defense which has only conceded an average of 26.2 points per game. That likely has to do with a less than impressive schedule that’s yet to see it run up against a vaunted offensive attack like UCLA’s.
Matchup to Watch
The Bruins are conceding an average of 284.2 rushing yards per game at an insane 6.3 yards per carry. Those outputs have the defense ranked No. 129 and 128 respectively. UCLA should feel shame! Unsurprisingly, you can expect to see a heavy dose of running from the quadrant of Brandon Dawkins ( should he play ), Khalil Tate, J.J. Taylor, and Nick Wilson. Tate was incredible last week coming in cold after Dawkins’ injury to lead the offense in rushing with an insane 327 yards and 4 touchdowns. Whether he gets the starting nod or not, Rich Rod would be a fool not to unleash him upon once of the worst FBS run defenses in the nation.
Player to Watch
Josh Rosen – Make no bones about it, Arizona’s defense is still finding its way. While it’s arguably better than what UCLA brings to the table, it still has its warts. That will be apparent almost immediately once Rosen gets going picking it apart. It just allowed a struggling Steven Montez to gouge it for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns without picking him off after the youngster tossed 4 interceptions in his previous three games. UCLA just so happens to possess the nation’s best passing attack. It averages just under 436 yards per game and ranks top 15 in yards per attempt. Look for Rosen to have a huge night with Darren Andrews, Caleb Wilson, Jordan Lasley, and Theo Howard his main beneficiaries.
Free ATS Pick
Unless UCLA completely revamped its defense and brought 11 new players in that are actually good, I want absolutely nothing to do with laying road chalk on the Bruins. Regardless of how little it is. Remember, they were only 2.5-point favorites at Memphis yet still got worked. Even if Dawkins is unable to go in this one, I have faith in the Wildcats offense with the 18-year old Tate running the show. The kid was nothing short of electric, and he did it in hostile territory. This is going to be one of those vintage video game-esque Pac-12 matchups. No lead is ever going to be safe, and a ton of points are sure to hit the Wildcat Stadium scoreboard. Look for the Wildcats to circle the wagons and find a way to halt their two-game home losing streak in a game that could combine to surpass the century mark.
College Football Odds: Wildcats 52, Bruins 51
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