College Football Week 9 Colorado Buffaloes vs UCLA Bruins: Odds, Tips and Predictions 10/28/23

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Prediction: Bet UCLA to cover

• Over/Under: UCLA vs Colorado (62.5)
• Spread: UCLA -17.5
• Pick: Bet UCLA to cover

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Colorado used to be all the rage in College Football just a few weeks ago; how times have changed. The real question for the Buffaloes has to be can the defense stop anybody?

UCLA is a solid team that really needs this victory. Colorado doesn’t have any more games on their schedule that even look winnable, can they at least cover a -17.5 point-spread?

The Bruins have scored 31.3 points per game (tied 45th in the nation), on 248.9 passing yards (50th) and 215.6 rushing yards (8th). They have allowed 14.9 points back (10th) on 214.0 passing yards, tied for 50th place and 68.6 rushing yards (2nd).

The Bruins outgained the Stanford Cardinal 503-292 in total yards and won the turnover battle 2-0. Junior quarterback Ethan Garbers completed 20 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns, while Carson Steele ran 20 times for 76 yards and three scores on 20 carries in his first start since Week 1.

Colorado’s defense faltered again against Stanford, giving up 399 receiving yards to the Cardinal and overall yielding 35.9 points per game (127th nationally). They now give up 316.3 passing yards (133rd) and 157.4 rushing yards (90th). Furthermore, Colorado is giving up second-most first downs (25.3).

On the other side of the ball, Colorado is scoring 34.4 points per game (tied-26th) thanks to 346.1 passing yards (3rd in division 1) and 86.3 rushing yards (128th). Junior signal-caller Shedeur Sanders made headlines this past weekend when he threw for 400 yards, five touchdowns, and an interception against Stanford; so far this season, he’s amassed 2,420 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and three interceptions!

The Buffaloes will continue to struggle as their pass defense ranks among the worst in the country, their ground game is nonexistent, and their passing offense remains nonexistent when facing UCLA, who have an outstanding run defense and rank fourth nationally in takeaways (2.3 per game).

I’m taking the Bruins here, though covering a 17.5-point spread won’t be easy. Hopefully, their defense continues its high performance.

Tip:

UCLA to Cover

Best Odd

-17.5

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