Two high-powered offenses will dictate this one as the California Golden Bears (5-1) take on the UCLA Bruins (4-2). The Pac-12’s second-leading passer, Jared Goff (1,970 yards, 17 TDs), will be featured in this game. UCLA has had its share of highlights this season, but has struggled in recent weeks, having lost two of its last three. The game will air Thursday, Oct 22 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
In last week’s matchup, UCLA got blown out by Stanford 56-35. Darren Andrews had a huge game in the loss, pulling in four receptions for 100 yards and one TD. Jordan Payton had a great game as well, adding 94 receiving yards and a TD on six catches. California also fell short, losing to Utah 30-24. Stephen Anderson had a quality performance for the Golden Bears, grabbing six receptions for 99 yards. Trevor Davis also had a great game with 92 receiving yards and a TD on three catches.
This week’s matchup between the Bruins and Golden Bears has even odds and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable currently.
Sitting at 4-2 Straight Up (SU) and 3-3 Against The Spread (ATS), the Bruins will look to improve heading into Week 8. The UCLA running game is averaging 205.0 rushing yards during its last five matchups. During their last five games, the Bruins gave up 163.8 passing yards per game. There will be plenty of opportunities for the Bruins to pick off California’s quarterback. The Golden Bears currently throw the 122nd-most picks per game in the nation with 1.7. UCLA’s special teams squad is a force to be reckoned with. They average 121.5 return yards per game, 16th in Division I.
As for their opponent, the Golden Bears head into Week 8 with records of 4-2 ATS and 5-1 SU. UCLA fans may be in trouble when the Golden Bears come to town this week. California averaged a whopping 332.2 passing yards per game over its last five matchups. Over the last five games, the Golden Bears turned it up on defense, only allowing an average of 249.6 passing yards per game. The Bruins can’t let the turnover-minded Golden Bears take the ball away from them. The Golden Bears defense sits atop the country in turnovers with 3.5 per game. Teams need to stay focused in the first quarter against the fast-starting Golden Bears, who average 9.8 points in the first 15 minutes. Yellow flags will likely be a common sight during any game with UCLA. The Bruins are one of the most penalized teams in the country with 7.8 calls per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – UCLA, ATS Winner – UCLA
Notes
UCLA is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of UCLA’s last 6 games.
UCLA is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games at home.
UCLA is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of UCLA’s last 5 games at home.
UCLA is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing California.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of UCLA’s last 5 games when playing California.
UCLA is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against California.
Each team is 3-0 SU when leading after two quarters this season.
UCLA is 2-1 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet undefeated (2-0 SU) in games where it loses the turnover battle.
The UCLA rushing attack is ranked 37th in the nation, while the California run defense is only ranked 60th. The Golden Bears rushing game is ranked 78th, compared to the 114th-ranked run defense of the Bruins.
