The UCLA Bruins overcame a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit last week to push their game against Texas A&M to overtime, but the offense didn’t quite have enough in the tank to finish the job. When the Bruins return home to take on the UNLV Rebels in Week 2 of the regular season, they will be looking for their first win.
The next two contests -- this one against UNLV and next week against BYU -- are important for the Bruins to iron out any deficiencies before they start conference play against No. 7 Stanford in late September.
UNLV is coming into this one off a win over Jackson State last week. The Rebels will be hoping to ride that momentum all the way to California in hopes of springing the upset, but that will be a tall task as they are significant underdogs in this showdown.
This matchup in Week 2 of the regular season will take place on Saturday, September 10, 2016, at 8 p.m. ET at the Rose Bowl.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
UNLV +26.5
UCLA -26.5
Over/Under 62.5
Odds Analysis
There are two trains of thought on this one. The first is that the Bruins have so much firepower that they will roll out to a big lead and then keep on piling on until the buzzer.
The other is that UCLA may get ahead quickly but then let off the gas, which could allow the Rebels to cover. The bettors are split as 51 percent chose the Bruins to cover and 49 have taken UNLV.
The “under” is currently getting more of the action when the scoring total is wagered on.
Matchup to Watch
UCLA secondary against Devonte Boyd. The Rebels were led by the standout play of Boyd in last week’s victory. He caught four passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns.
Quarterback Johnny Stanton only threw for 217 yards and more than half went to Boyd, and he will certainly be a top target once again. That made it tough for Jackson State to focus on the run, and it helped the Rebels offense rack up 503 total yards.
UCLA has some talented players among its defensive backs, and it will be interesting to see if one player tracks Boyd or the Bruins go with a committee approach. UNLV’s best chance at keeping it close is to get a big game from Boyd.
Key Player
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen. The youngster had his ups and downs last week, and UCLA’s offensive line will need to offer him better protection against UNLV this week.
Rosen was sacked five times in the season opener against Texas A&M. Some of that was the line allowing too much pressure, and some was Rosen not making decisive reads. He finished with three interceptions and only one touchdown, but still threw for 343 yards.
Rosen’s lone touchdown pass was a beauty, at least, a 62-yarder to Kenneth Walker. Walker finished the night as the team’s leading receiver, with six receptions for 115 yards, and should be Rosen’s go-to guy once again.
Free ATS Pick
UCLA will have a chance to get right, as it has the clear talent advantage. Rosen had his struggles a week ago but has talent and should be able to put up big numbers in this contest.
UNLV will try to hang with the help of Boyd and Stanton, but it’s much easier to move the ball on Jackson State than the Bruins.
While UCLA shouldn’t have very much trouble capturing the victory in this game, the spread is a different hurdle. It’s a really big one, and the Bruins must dominate from start to finish in order to cover.
That is too tall of a task as UNLV showed enough in its opener to make bettors confident they can stay within 26 points.
College Football Odds: UCLA 38, UNLV 14
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