The UCLA Bruins begin the Jim Mora, Jr. era with a trip to Texas to take on the Rice Owls Thursday night in Houston.
UCLA, coming off a 6-8 season in which it lost the inaugural Pac-12 championship game, then changed head coaches, is favored by 15.5 points over Rice, which is looking to improve upon back-to-back 4-8 campaigns.
View UCLA vs Rice Odds and Stats.
Betting Line: Fans backing the Owls here saw them open as 15.5-point underdogs at Sportsbook in this college football clash. (Check back shortly for Sportsbook totals at sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark as none was available at the time this preview was written.)
UCLA Bruins Trends:
When playing in August are 0-1
When playing on turf are 3-7
After being outgained are 3-7
When playing outside the conference are 6-4
Rice Owls Trends:
When playing in August are 1-2
When playing on turf are 4-6
After being outgained are 4-6
When playing outside the conference are 2-8
A few Bruins at Owls trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of UCLA's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of UCLA's last 5 games on the road
UCLA is 5-12 ATS in its last 17 games
UCLA is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Rice is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Rice's last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Rice's last 8 games
Rice is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Next up:
UCLA home to Nebraska, Saturday, September 8
Rice at Kansas, Saturday, September 8
