Utah Utes vs. UCLA Bruins: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 10/8/2022

by Chuck Sommers

Tuesday, Oct 04, 2022
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Where to watch: FOX

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: Utah -4.5
FanDuel: Utah -4
BetMGM: Utah -4.5
Caesars: Utah -4.5

Season record
No. 11 Utah: 4-1 (2-0 Pac-12)
No. 18 UCLA: 5-0 (2-0 Pac-12)

Another week, another crazy set of circumstances in college football! Georgia almost loss, Bryce Young left but Alabama still won, etc. All the craziness, all the drama through a month into the season. What in the world are we getting next? How about starting with a 6-1-0 run from Kyle Hunter this past weekend? Our top handicapper in the college football realm had himself a very good week. What will next week have in store with a lot of shakings in the top 25 to be expected? Make sure to follow all of our champion handicappers and their picks in our Best Bets section, where you can expect more of Kyle's and others' picks to get you on the right side of winning this week at bigal.com.

Utah - UCLA preview, analysis and prediction


Last week
Utah: won 42-16 vs. Oregon State
UCLA: won 40-32 vs. No. 15 Washington

The Utah Utes have answered the bell since losing to the Florida Gators in Week 1, rolling through the competition and getting out to a 2-0 start in Pac-12 play. The Utes are coming off a highly impressive 42-16 win over surging Oregon State this past Saturday. Now, the Beavers were likely coming in off a deflating loss to USC and maybe they blew a chance. But to go on the road and get thrashed by Utah I believe says more about the Utes than the non-ranked team from the state of Oregon. Utah quarterback Cameron Rising threw for 199 yards and three touchdowns while also adding 73 on the ground and a score, and Utah ran away from that game really in no time.

"We found our toughness," senior safety R.J. Hubert said. "This team has guts, passion, they're tough, and I love these guys."

Utah might have been outgained 417-361, but the Utah defense which has been the strong suit so far this season, forced four turnovers and really just kept control of the game the entire. Typical Utah, I’d say. This group has been one of my favorites over the last couple of years and it’s showing once again that it’s very much a possibility that they can win the Pac-12 again and challenge for a College Football Playoff appearance. They have the potential to get there. Had the Utes beat the Gators back in the opening week, who knows where they’d be right now? We’d be talking about one of the top teams in the country and challenging for the top spot held by Alabama and Georgia. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There’s still a lot of football left to be played with an eventual showdown between Utah and USC at some point. Everything will be assessed in due time.

The UCLA Bruins needed a win to ensure that this undefeated start wasn’t a fluke. Getting a victory over the Washington Huskies is one way to do it. Also in need of a performance to say “I’ve arrived,” Dorian Thompson-Robinson absolutely did that while outplaying Michael Penix Jr. DTR threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns, while also running for 53 yards and a score to lead Chip Kelly’s Bruins to a 5-0 start. Penix threw for 345 yards and four touchdowns, but UCLA’s defense did something Washington hadn’t been through to this point.

"People were saying all week that we're the worst 4-0 team out there and writing us off. I think my boys came here with a chip on their shoulder," said Thompson-Robinson, who had the sixth 300-yard passing game of his career. "I think I told y'all on Monday, see if Washington can run with us, not the other way around."

Indeed, they couldn’t run with UCLA, which is a very weird thing to think of. But yes, I agree, UCLA was the worst 4-0 team at the time, and might be the worst 5-0 club of the undefeated ones left. Shoutout to Kansas who might win the whole thing this year because why the hell not? UCLA needs to do it again, simply put. One way to do that is beat the class of the Pac-12. Then do it again when USC comes around.

Prediction


But it will not be this time. Utah is too good defensively, and DTR’s willingness to go for the big play will be his downfall. While it’d be fun for UCLA to make a statement, I have a hard time believing that this time around. Utah by 13

Betting trends


Utah is 11-9 ATS as a favorite in its last 20.

Utah is 5-5 ATS in its last 10 road games.

Utah is 11-4 ATS in its last 15 after playing a conference game.

UCLA is 25-18 ATS as a home underdog of 7 points or less since 1992.

UCLA is 10-5 ATS after playing a conference game in the last three seasons.

Statistical leaders


Utah:
Passing: Cameron Rising -- 1,153 yards, 12 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Tavion Thomas -- 295 yards, 4 TD
Receiving: Devaughn Vele -- 269 yards, 3 TD

UCLA:
Passing: Dorian Thompson-Robinson -- 1,211 yards, 12 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Zach Charbonnet -- 417 yards, 5 TD
Receiving: Jake Bobo -- 363 yards, 3 TD

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