Wildcats vs Bruins NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
The UCLA Bruins may be unranked in the BCS, but they are earning national attention in the media as the 25th-best team in the AP Poll. The Arizona Wildcats travel down to Los Angeles as the No. 22 team in the country as they look to Spoil the Bruins’ homecoming. Both teams have been good this year, and both teams are looking for a statement win this weekend.
No. 22 Arizona Wildcats (5-3) vs UCLA Bruins (6-2)
Saturday November 3, 2012
Rose Bowl, PASADENA, CALIF.
10:30 PM ET
Moneyline: OFF
Spread: UCLA -3.5 from OddsShark
O/U: 71
Arizona Wildcats
Coming off of one of the most exciting games in all of college football the last week, the Arizona Wildcats bring with them a whole lot of momentum into their matchup against the UCLA Bruins. Following a 39-36 defeat of the No. 9 USC Trojans, the offense is clicking on all cylinders. Matt Scott completed 27 of his 50 passes for 369 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 100 yards on 15 carries. He also recorded one touchdown on the ground.
Wide receiver Austin Hill was the unsung hero of that game with his ten receptions and 259 yards. If Scott is going to have a similar performance this week, he’s going to need a weapon like Hill to emerge early.
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Arizona struggles against the pass defensively, and while UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley has been very good in his first season behind center, locking down running back Johnathan Franklin is going to be key to the Wildcats’ success. The Bruins run a balanced offensive attack, and Franklin is the one who forces defenses to creep forward, opening opportunities for the pass against cheating secondaries.
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins have quietly gone 6-2 on the season, and with No. 17 USC still ahead on their schedule, they need to keep their winning ways if they hope to make it back to their second-straight Pac-12 championship game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Heading into the matchup with the Wildcats, one thing that you can’t take for granted is the crowd at the Rose Bowl. UCLA is going to be playing their homecoming game this weekend, they’ll be wearing alternate uniforms (always exciting for an amped crowd) and all 92,000 people in the stadium will be looking to rattle Matt Scott just as much as the Bruins’ defensive line. The Wildcats may have won six of the last seven matchups between these two teams, but UCLA and their crowd won’t care about the past once this contest begins.
With the numbers that Scott is putting up this year, it’s going to be beyond crucial that the Bruins put pressure on him and shrink his time in the pocket. UCLA is just 95th in the nation in passing defense (they allow 258.9 yards per game), but they have recorded 3.38 sacks per contest, which is tied for sixth in the NCAA.
Ultimately, that’s what this game is going to come down: whether or not the Bruins can stop Scott and the potent passing attack of the Wildcats. Arizona has a strong running game that they can fall back on if need be, but Scott is the anchor of the offense and he will be looking to make his mark on this contest.
The Bruins have given up at least 40 points in two of their last three games, and if Arizona can come close to that this time around, they’ll be on the right track to pulling off the upset in Los Angeles.
Trends
Wildcats are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 head-to-head meetings.
Wildcats are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games on grass.
Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
Over is 4-0 in Wildcats last 4 games overall.
Over is 4-0 in Wildcats last 4 conference games.
Over is 5-1 in Wildcats last 6 games following a ATS win.
Over is 5-1 in Wildcats last 6 vs. a team with a winning record.
O/U Pick: Over 71
Score Prediction: Arizona 38 – UCLA 34
