by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Nov 02, 2022
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ
Where to watch: FS1
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: UCLA -10.5
FanDuel: UCLA -10.5
BetMGM: UCLA -10.5
Caesars: UCLA -10.5
Season record
No. 12 UCLA: 7-1 (4-1 Pac-12)
Arizona State: 3-5 (2-3 Pac-12)
We're coming down to the wire in what should be an exciting final month of the college football season. The conference championship chases are on, bowl games are to be decided, and who gets into the College Football Playoff is anybody's guess to this point. If you're still trying to figure out who's the best to play at this point of the year, look no further than our champion handicappers leading the way in the college football world. Our own Kyle Hunter is 23-8-0 over the last month, while Brian Bitler is 21-13-0 in the run. Kyle's reeled in a net profit of over $14,000. Now you feel like you should be getting on the action, huh? Make sure you go check out bigal.com to see all of the work our champion handicappers are trying to do to get money in YOUR pocket with our selections. Make sure to hit up our Best Bets page for more!
UCLA - Arizona State preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
UCLA: won 38-13 vs. Stanford
Arizona State: won 42-34 at Colorado
The UCLA Bruins have done everything right to this point, but may still get the short end of the stick when everything is said and done. Realistically, UCLA needed to run the table for anyone to take them seriously. Alas, that loss to Oregon may end up hurting them in the end. But UCLA can continue to charge for a top-tier bowl game all the same as it continues with a game against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday in Tempe.
The Bruins rebounded after that 45-30 loss to the top-10 Ducks with a dominant 38-13 win over Stanford last week that was much-needed in getting them back on track. Surprisingly enough, this night didn't belong to quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson; he was held to just 199 yards on 18 of 29 passing. But star running back Zach Charbonnet ran for 198 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 carries, as well as leading the way with 61 receiving yards. The workhorse did it all in this game.
UCLA went on to outgain Stanford 523-270, which wasn't a surprise, but given UCLA had the ball for 28 minutes, that seemed like an easy day had by all.
"I thought Zach played outstanding today," coach Chip Kelly said. "He's a three-down back. He can pick up pass protection, he's a weapon coming out of the backfield and obviously we saw what he's like when he runs the football."
Charbonnet tied his career-high with the rushing yards and now leads the Pac-12 with 964 yards on the ground. So long as he continues to run the ball as well as he is, that's going to open up things for DTR.
"That was a really tough plane ride for us to sit down and think about, but as soon as we touched down we were ready to go and get back on the field," said Thompson-Robinson, who was 18-of-29 passing. "Especially for guys like me. I only have like four or five more weeks here as a Bruin, so I'm trying to take advantage of every opportunity I can."
This is a favorable schedule down the road for UCLA. They have two games at home against Arizona and, the big one, against No. 9 USC on Nov. 19. But with road games against the Sun Devils and Cal Golden Bears, UCLA is in prime position to finish this season strong. It might not result in a conference title game, but a strong finish will absolutely consider the Bruins for a New Year's Six bowl, and maybe put all of those talk of being once the "worst 6-0" team ever to bed for good.
Prediction
Arizona State's defense hasn't been good this year while bolstering a pedestrian offense. If they can't contain DTR, this game might be over quicker than it would seem. That 10-point spread seems very generous at this stage. UCLA by 21
The UCLA Bruins have done everything right to this point, but may still get the short end of the stick when everything is said and done. Realistically, UCLA needed to run the table for anyone to take them seriously. Alas, that loss to Oregon may end up hurting them in the end. But UCLA can continue to charge for a top-tier bowl game all the same as it continues with a game against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday in Tempe.
The Bruins rebounded after that 45-30 loss to the top-10 Ducks with a dominant 38-13 win over Stanford last week that was much-needed in getting them back on track. Surprisingly enough, this night didn't belong to quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson; he was held to just 199 yards on 18 of 29 passing. But star running back Zach Charbonnet ran for 198 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 carries, as well as leading the way with 61 receiving yards. The workhorse did it all in this game.
UCLA went on to outgain Stanford 523-270, which wasn't a surprise, but given UCLA had the ball for 28 minutes, that seemed like an easy day had by all.
"I thought Zach played outstanding today," coach Chip Kelly said. "He's a three-down back. He can pick up pass protection, he's a weapon coming out of the backfield and obviously we saw what he's like when he runs the football."
Charbonnet tied his career-high with the rushing yards and now leads the Pac-12 with 964 yards on the ground. So long as he continues to run the ball as well as he is, that's going to open up things for DTR.
"That was a really tough plane ride for us to sit down and think about, but as soon as we touched down we were ready to go and get back on the field," said Thompson-Robinson, who was 18-of-29 passing. "Especially for guys like me. I only have like four or five more weeks here as a Bruin, so I'm trying to take advantage of every opportunity I can."
This is a favorable schedule down the road for UCLA. They have two games at home against Arizona and, the big one, against No. 9 USC on Nov. 19. But with road games against the Sun Devils and Cal Golden Bears, UCLA is in prime position to finish this season strong. It might not result in a conference title game, but a strong finish will absolutely consider the Bruins for a New Year's Six bowl, and maybe put all of those talk of being once the "worst 6-0" team ever to bed for good.
Prediction
Arizona State's defense hasn't been good this year while bolstering a pedestrian offense. If they can't contain DTR, this game might be over quicker than it would seem. That 10-point spread seems very generous at this stage. UCLA by 21
Betting trends
UCLA is 10-6 ATS as a favorite over the last three years; 3-2 this season.
UCLA is 4-1 ATS in its last five as a road favorite.
UCLA is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 November games.
The over is 13-3 in the last 16 when UCLA commits one or fewer turnovers.
Arizona State is 6-3 ATS in its last nine as an underdog.
Arizona State is 11-7 ATS in its last 18 conference games.
Statistical leaders
UCLA:
Passing: Dorian Thompson-Robinson -- 1,971 yards, 17 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Zach Charbonnet -- 964 yards, 10 TD
Receiving: Jake Bobo -- 526 yards, 6 TD
Arizona State:
Passing: Emory Jones -- 1,347 yards, 5 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Xazavian Valladay -- 760 yards, 10 TD
Receiving: Elijah Badger -- 627 yards, 4 TD
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this UCLA Bruins - Arizona State Sun Devils prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college football projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
