ASU Sun Devils vs UCLA Bruins NCAA Football Odds
Top 25 Arizona State head out to Pasadena to take on UCLA as they look to keep their one game edge on both USC and UCLA in the race for the PAC 12 South.
When: Saturday, 7:30 PM EST
Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
TV: Versus
LINE: +9 (UCLA), O/U 55
The Sun Devils are coming off of a bye week of sorts. They went up against Colorado, which in essence has been a bye week for most teams this season, handing them a 48-14 loss.
Meanwhile, UCLA bounced back nicely after the thrashing they took in Arizona, by beating Cal 31-14. A much needed victory for UCLA as they looked to stay in the southern division race.
AS for this one, this is a matchup between two teams that are polar opposites on the offensive side of the ball. While UCLA relies on its ground game to get the job done, ASU relies on the arm of quarterback Brock Osweiler to get things going in the passing department.
And the rankings reflect these styles. The Bruins sport a top 35 rushing attack, and sit near the bottom third of the country in passing offense, while the Sun Devils have used their top 20 passing game to secure a spot safely in the top 25. Their 76th rated running game has given Osweiler, and the Sun Devils very little help though, which could keep ASU from being in that top tier level in the PAC 12 when the season comes to a close.
As you would figure, the differing styles of play are reflected on the scoreboard. The slower paced, running team (UCLA) finds itself scoring just under 25 points per game. Good for 82nd in the country.
Then you have the up-tempo, spread offense of ASU that likes to spray the ball all across the field averaging over 35 points per contest. Good for 22nd in the country, and third in the Pac 12. Behind only Stanford and Oregon. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
You also have two very different defenses in this one. The main difference lies in the fact that UCLA just can’t keep people out of the end zone (32 points allowed). Whereas Arizona State employs the oft used, bend but don’t break defense (21 points allowed).
While neither of the two defensive units are exactly stellar, it is a bit of bad luck for UCLA that ASU’s rushing defense is actually quite solid (55th). Directly taking away some of the sting of UCLA’s main, and really their only strength.
The flip side of that is the Bruins’ pass defense is just flat out awful (80th), which makes this one look like quite the mismatch on paper.
Matt’s Prediction: Arizona State 34 UCLA 21–
While just one game separates these two in the standings. The gap between the two is seemingly quite a bit farther apart. Both offensively and defensively really. When you look at Arizona State, they are really a running game away from being National Title contenders. Even though ASU is on the road, I still like them by double digits here based on the defensive match-ups.
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