At long last, Chris Petersen’s prayers have been answered. Petersen has been upset that his Washington Huskies have not been given earlier time slots all season long. The Huskies have typically been the late-night game du jour and that has meant that East Coast writers haven’t watched too much of Washington football. This week, the Huskies should be ready to show off with a 3:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff time for the first time all season. Now they need to make sure to take care of business against the UCLA Bruins.
This matchup in Week 9 of the regular season will take place on Saturday, October 28, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington This game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
UCLA +17
Washington -17
Odds Analysis
Washington had cruised out to a 6-0 record through the first half of its schedule, thanks in large part to a very easy schedule. The best team that the Huskies faced was a decent Cal team that they were able to hammer with authority. Dreams of an undefeated season were dashed two weeks ago by a game Arizona State team that held the offense to only seven points. The under has hit in each of Washington’s last four games thanks to a dominant defense that hasn’t allowed more than 16 pints all season.
It’s been a crazy year for UCLA. The Bruins don’t have much of a defense and have been reliant on Josh Rosen to try to bail them out time and time again. Rosen has been able to do it for the most part, leading the team to a 4-3 record, but the defense has kept them from covering a lot of games. The Bruins had failed to cover four in a row prior to last week’s easy cover against Oregon.
Player to Watch
Josh Rosen should be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft barring injury. There’s no doubt that Rosen is the most NFL ready quarterback in the country and he has made all the throws this season.
If not for Rosen, there’s no telling where UCLA would be. Rosen doesn’t have the best numbers in the country, but is doing it pretty much single-handedly on the offensive end. The Bruins have a dreadful offensive line and the running game hasn’t amounted to much this season. UCLA is running the ball better than it was last year, but that’s not saying too much considering what an abject disaster that was.
For UCLA to have any chance of pulling off an upset, it needs Rosen to be ready to win a shootout. Luckily, he has done that most of the year.
Key Stat
Washington has the best defense in the country in terms of yards per play. The Huskies have allowed their opponents to pick up just 3.6 yards per play on average this season and that has led to a number of three and outs. Granted, the quality of competition has a lot to do with those numbers, but this is still an extremely good defense.
Like virtually every great defense in college football, it starts up front for the Huskies. Washington has a pair of massive tackles in Vita Vea and Greg Gaines and those two have done their job very well this season. Their ability to take on linemen and win individual battles has freed up linebackers to make plays. They know that they can dominate their matchup against UCLA’s interior linemen, especially with an extra week of rest.
Free ATS Pick
This should be a blowout win for the Huskies. They have all the advantages heading into this one. Washington has an extra week of rest, is playing at home, and will be looking for revenge after a stunning loss to Arizona State. Rosen will be on the back foot the whole game and will be forced into a few mistakes that help this one get out of hand.
College Football Odds: Washington 45, UCLA 17
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