UCLA Bruins vs. Colorado Buffaloes: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 9/24/2022

by Chuck Sommers

Tuesday, Sep 20, 2022
Game time: 2 p.m. ET
Venue: Folsom Field, Boulder, CO
Where to watch: PAC12

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: UCLA -21
FanDuel: UCLA -21.5
BetMGM: UCLA -21.5
Caesars: UCLA -22.5

Season record
UCLA: 3-0
Colorado: 0-3

We are about to get rolling into conference season in college football. This is where the fun truly begins. And if you're trying to find the right expert handicappers to get you the right picks for those games, look no further than Kyle Hunter on a 15-5-1 run since the beginning of the season. What will next week hold? Make sure to check out Kyle's thoughts on our Best Bets page, where you can get a look at the rest of our champion handicappers and get in on the action!

UCLA - Colorado preview, analysis and prediction


Last week
UCLA: won 32-31 vs. South Alabama
Colorado: lost 49-7 at Minnesota

The UCLA Bruins might be the legit version of lucky right now, and for a program that is in dire need of some relevance, that might not be a bad thing. Hence why the Bruins are coming into Saturday’s game against the 0-3 Colorado Buffaloes opening as three-touchdown favorites.

Part of that has to do with the Bruins being 3-0 and being a much better team than Colorado, and the other has to do with the Buffaloes just being bad. But if we’re looking at this from a broader point of view, the Bruins should not be in the position to be 3-0 right now.

UCLA is coming off a 32-31 win over *checks notes* South Alabama and is 3-0 after three home victories. Bravo, or something. None of this makes sense, but at the very least, the Bruins are just a fraud. No one should believe in them at all. There’s no reason why the Bruins should have come close to losing this game, and there’s no reason why it should be a fluke 3-0.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns, but that was the only offensive notable performance that was gathered on that day. So much so that UCLA was down 8 going into the fourth quarter and was on the verge of just getting torched by the social media world.

What say you, Chip Kelly?

“We had talked all week long about some type of trickeration. Sometimes that happens when you have Group of Fives playing Power Fives,” Kelly said. "I thought that our guys did a really good job of defending it. I saw Carl (Jones Jr.) coming off the edge, and then it was really a big play by our defense when we needed one.”

In short, the defense that had been getting torched by South Alabama is what we’re going with. Why am I having such a tough time believing in this team? If you’re looking for some good news as a Bruins fan, 4-0 won’t be too far down the road.

The Buffaloes are bad. How bad, you might be asking? Let’s put it this way: The athletic director had to send out a statement via Twitter to let everyone know he hears the fans and things are bad but they could be better as soon as Kordell Stewart reincarnated. That last part, I can assure you, is not true. But things are bad right now.

Colorado is 0-3, and the football team has scored a grand total of 30 points. How many points have they given up, you ask? Try 128. Yes, this Pac-12 program is being outscored by four times the points. This is probably why the Big Ten hasn’t thought about bringing them over with USC and UCLA. Colorado is coming off a 49-7 loss at Minnesota, but hey, at least they’re back home, right?

"A surgical performance," Gophers' head coach P.J. Fleck said. "Offense, defense, special teams... they just go out there and execute the game plan."

No one talked to Colorado after the game, that’s how bad it was. You’re welcome.

Prediction


The Buffaloes have lost 12 of their last 16 straight up when they’re an underdog. That might need to tell you all you need to know. UCLA, as a road favorite straight-up, is 42-21 in their last 63. Never tell me the odds, unless they’re that concrete. UCLA by 38

Betting trends


UCLA is 10-6 ATS in its last 16 against conference opponents.

UCLA is 5-16 ATS in its last 21 after two consecutive home wins.

Colorado is 11-28 ATS after allowing 450 total yards or more in consecutive games.

Colorado is 17-19 ATS after a loss by 28 points or more.

Statistical leaders


UCLA:
Passing: Dorian Thompson-Robinson -- 662 yards, 6 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Zach Charbonnet -- 189 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Jake Bobo -- 168 yards, 1 TD

Colorado:
Passing: J.T. Shrout -- 232 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Deion Smith -- 159 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Daniel Arias -- 124 yards

Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this UCLA Bruins - Colorado Buffaloes 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.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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