High-powered UCLA, averaging almost 53 points per game, opens its Pac-12 season when it travels to Salt Lake City to battle 3-1 Utah Thursday night (10 pm ET, Fox Sports 1).
In the early betting the 3-0 Bruins, who beat Utah last year 21-14 on their way to the Pac-12 championship game, were favored by four points over the Utes, who lost their conference opener a couple weeks ago in overtime to Oregon State.
The Bruins will look to vanquish their hosts on Thursday, as they are 3-0 ATS versus the spread this season, while the Utes are 3-1 ATS. UCLA is 2-1 against the total, while Utah is 3-1 versus the number.
View UCLA Bruins vs Utah Utes Odds and Stats.
The visitors opened as -3.5-point favorites in this one at Sportsbook and most sportsbooks tracked here at OddsShark. The total was 60.5 midweek at Sportsbook.
The game pits the Utes, currently No. 52 in our OddsShark NCAAF Power Rankings, against the Bruins, who rate No. 14 in the latest survey. Meanwhile, math and handicapping models run on this game predict a 34-28 victory for the Bruins.
Last time out, BYU could not slow down Dres Anderson, who managed 141 receiving yards in the Utes 20-13 victory over the Cougars Saturday.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Utah's No. 19-ranked offense (42 PPG) against a Bruins defense that ranks No. 30 at 18 PPG. The Utes passing attack has averaged 286 yards per game, more than the Bruins give up through the air (177 YPG on average).
In comparing defenses, the Bruins own the league's No. 66-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 183 yards per game when on the road. Utah, on the other hand, rates No. 34 this week in generating rushing yards at home.
A few Bruins at Utes trends to consider:
UCLA is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
UCLA is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of UCLA's last 10 games
UCLA is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Utah is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Utah's last 5 games
Utah is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Utah is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home
Next up:
UCLA at California, Saturday, October 12th
Utah at Stanford, Saturday, October 12th
