The UCLA Bruins and the California Golden Bears will both be looking to bounce back from losses and maintain some sort of big-time bowl game hopes when they square off in their Pac-12 showdown on Saturday.
Now, let me tell you why this Week 8 matchup is offering tons of value.
UCLA at California
When: Saturday, October 18, 2014
Kickoff: 3:30 PM ET
TV: ABC/ESPN
Spread: UCLA -7
Bruins Vs Golden Bears Online Betting Odds Preview
California (4-2 SU, 4-2 ATS) got absolutely pounded in its 31-7 Week 7 home loss to Washington and never came close to covering the spread as a 3.5-point favorite while seeing its two-game SU winning streak come to an abrupt halt.
Quarterback Jared Goff was sacked four times and had three fumbles in the loss despite completing 31 of 54 passes for 304 yards. The Bears had five fumbles as a team and lost three of three of them.
After losing at home to Utah 30-28 as a 13-point home favorite in Week 6, UCLA (4-2 SU, 1-5 ATS) got steamrolled in their 42-30 home loss against Oregon as a 1.5-point underdog.
Quarterback Brett Hundley completed 26 of 37 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another while running back Paul Perkins added 190 rushing yards. Still, it wasn’t enough to beat the explosive Ducks.
"When you play a team like Oregon, you’ve got to be almost perfect to beat them," UCLA head coach Jim Mora said. "They are just so explosive and so good. I think that we did some things today that were really positive, but we shot ourselves in the foot a couple times."
UCLA head coach Jim Mora meets with the media for the first time during Cal week. http://t.co/CLwITohvbp #GoBruins
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) October 14, 2014
The Golden Bears are generally one of the most explosive teams we’ve seen this season. California ranks 10th in the nation in scoring (42.8 ppg) and has scored 45 points or more in four of their six games this season. Unfortunately for Cal – and good news for the UCLA Bruins – is the fact that the Bears are also ranked 128th against the pass (402 ypg) and a dismal 120th in points allowed (38.8 ppg).
Even with all their blemishes, the UCLA Bruins have the better quarterback in this matchup and the far better defense. Back the Bruins to win and cash in!
My Pick: UCLA -7 Points