We have an interesting Pac-12 matchup at the Rose Bowl this evening as the Colorado Buffaloes will hit the road to meet the No. 23 UCLA Bruins. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will air on ABC.
Colorado (4-3, 1-3 Pac-12) is coming off its bye week and will look for a strong finish to Deion Sanders’ first season in Boulder. The Buffaloes were last seen collapsing against Stanford two weeks ago, falling 46-43 in double overtime. CU has to figure some things out defensively as it is giving up 473.7 yards per game on 6.2 yards per play.
UCLA (5-2, 2-2 Pac-12) has success against that aforementioned Stanford team last Saturday, wrecking the Cardinal in a 42-7 blowout victory. With freshman quarterback Dante Moore struggling in recent weeks, head coach Chip Kelly decided to start Ethan Garbers and it worked out for the Bruins. He threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns while running back Carson Steele provided three TD’s on the ground.
SP+ Rankings
Colorado: 77 overall, 35 offense, 112 defense
UCLA: 20 overall, 26 offense, 14 defense
Injury update
Colorado
OT Savion Washington – Questionable (Ankle)
UCLA
QB Collin Schlee – Probable (Upper Body)
WR Titus Mokiao-Atimalala – Out indefinitely (Undisclosed)
LB Ale Kaho – Out indefinitely (Leg)
ATS/Total
Against The Spread in 2023
Colorado: 3-3-1 ATS
UCLA: 4-3 ATS
Total in 2023
Colorado: Over 4-3
UCLA: Over 2-5
Team Pace
Colorado: 2.70 plays per minute of offense
UCLA: 2.54 plays per minute of offense
Odds at DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: UCLA -15
Total: 61
Moneyline: UCLA -625, Colorado +455
Opening line: UCLA -15
Opening total: 65
Weather (Kickoff in afternoon on West Coast)
73 degrees, sunny, 6 MPH winds SW
Our Best Bet for Colorado vs. UCLA
UCLA -15
Along with an efficient offense, UCLA has quietly had one of the best defenses in the nation all season. Opponents are converting just 31.4% of their third downs against the Bruins and have scored on just 68.8% of their trips to the red zone. UCLA is also averaging eight tackles per loss per game and are limiting opposing offenses to just 4.34 yards per play.
Given CU’s offensive line struggles in recent weeks, the group is going to have a hard time protecting Shedeur Sanders against Laiatu Latu, Gabriel Murphy, and company. I think this is a game that could get out of hand in the second half and I’ll take the Bruins to cover.