UCLA vs. Colorado Total Prediction
The UCLA Bruins and Colorado Buffaloes will play their Pac-12 Conference openers on Friday night when they meet in Boulder. Will the game be high-scoring or will the combined score fall under the total?
Game Snapshot
107 UCLA Bruins at 108 Colorado Buffaloes
9:00 p.m. ET, Friday, September 28, 2018
Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Buffaloes are 9.5-point favorites to beat the Bruins. The total, meanwhile, sits at 60.5 points. As of this writing, 67% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Buffaloes.
UCLA Bruins
UCLA coach Chip Kelly said redshirt senior QB Wilton Speight (back) is not assured of getting his starting job back when he is healthy. Speight (6’6/232) has been out since September 1st’s game against Cincinnati and true freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been starting since. Kelly’s comments are particularly notable because Thompson-Robinson has struggled in back-to-back games. On 75 pass attempts, the freshman has just two touchdowns with two interceptions and the Bruins are 0-3. Speight and Thompson-Robinson will battle it out in practice heading into next Friday’s game against Colorado.
Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado redshirt freshman WR Jaylon Jackson (foot) has practiced each of the last two days. Jackson (5’10/175) redshirted in 2017 after breaking his ankle early in August of that year, but he had recovered from that by the summer and was turning in a sharp preseason camp this time around prior to being waylaid by a foot injury. While he has yet to play this season, Colorado is currently on their bye week and we could potentially see Jackson make his debut a week from Friday, when the Buffs resume the campaign against UCLA.
Betting Trends
UCLA
The over is 6-1 in the Bruins’ last seven road games and 6-2 in their last eight games when they play on Friday.
Colorado
The over is 4-0 in the Buffaloes’ last four home games.
Prediction
Based on what Chip Kelly’s offense has done so far (albeit against three teams that are a combined 10-1 on the year), I don’t think this one gets into the 60s. UCLA has already allowed 12 sacks thus far, has turned the ball over five times, and has taken 23 penalties for 199 yards. This offense continues to be dragged down by poor execution, costly mistakes and inexperience, which is littered throughout UCLA’s roster. Colorado should get into the 30s but I doubt UCLA will accomplish the same feat.
College Football Prediction: UCLA/Colorado under 60.5