The Arizona State Sun Devils will try to play spoiler on Saturday, when they host the No. 10 UCLA Bruins at 10:30 p.m. ET at Sun Devil Stadium. The odds currently favor UCLA over Arizona State. Nonetheless, in this post we’ll be making our UCLA-Arizona State prediction and picks.
The Bruins will be a double-digit favorite in this matchup, although late-night matchups in the Pac 12 always seem to surprise. The Bruins are 7-1 on the year, including 4-1 in league play. They’re on track to compete for a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Sun Devils don’t have as much at stake, as they are 3-5 (2-3 in Pac-12) so far this season.
Be sure to check out our OddsShopper tool for the best odds on Saturday’s slate.
College Football Odds: UCLA-Arizona State Odds
UCLA is now favored by 11 at most places after opening at 10.5. The total has adjusted much more than that, climbing from 62.5 up to 66.5 as of Thursday evening. Bettors are expecting plenty of points to be scored by these two teams.
It is hard to argue with that assessment, especially on UCLA’s side of things. The Bruins have had six of their eight games go over the point total, while producing a 5-3 clip against the spread. The Sun Devils are 4-4 ATS and 3-5 in over/unders this season.
Bruins Rolling Behind Run Game
Chip Kelly has another potent rushing attack this year, as UCLA ranks 12th in FBS with an average of 222.7 rushing yards per game. Only five teams in the entire nation are producing more than the Bruins’ average of 5.8 rushing yards per attempt.
While the Bruins have a dual-threat quarterback in Dorian Thompson-Robinson, running back Zach Charbonnet has been the biggest beneficiary of this ground game. The senior back has 964 yards and 10 touchdowns on 128 attempts. Charbonnet is coming off a 198-yard, three-touchdown performance against Stanford and should have no problem delivering another big day.
Arizona State is giving up 171.9 rushing yards per game, which ranks 97th in the nation entering the weekend. ASU is allowing 4.6 yards per attempt, a clip that lists the unit at 110th in the country. Charbonnet has a rushing line of 124.5 yards at FanDuel, and that honestly might not be high enough.
Sun Devils Turning Things Around Under New Coaching
Arizona State made the decision to fire head coach Herm Edwards in late-September, following a 30-21 loss to Eastern Michigan at home. The Sun Devils went 26-20 overall and 17-14 against conference opponents under Edwards.
Following the removal of Edwards, the Sun Devils immediately played the likes of Utah and USC. Those are difficult matchups, but the team still made strides over the last few weeks. Arizona State has won two of its last three games, recording a 45-38 victory over Washington on Oct. 8 and a 42-34 win over Colorado.
Interim head coach Shaun Aguano has done a good job of getting the Sun Devils back on track. It might not lead to a win this weekend, but another competitive performance from Arizona State could go a long way in determining this program’s outlook.
Final UCLA-Arizona State Prediction and Pick
This spread is sort of in a dead zone, but I’m inclined to lay the big number with the Bruins. I’m just not sure I’d ever feel comfortable having money on the underdog with the way the Bruins have been clicking offensively this year.
UCLA has scored at least 30 points in every game this year, ranking 11th in the nation with an average of 39.6 points per game. The Bruins have plenty of veterans at the most-important positions, so expect them to have this squad prepared for their road trip to Tempe.
Arizona State might be playing a bit better recently, but this team will be overmatched on Saturday.
Final UCLA-Arizona Prediction: UCLA -10.5 (-110) at FanDuel
