UCLA Bruins vs. Arizona Wildcats Odds & Game Pick (2021)

PAC-12 play roars on Saturday as six teams will be in action with the final game of the weekend taking place in Tuscon, AZ when the Bruins head east to take on the Wildcats. Still looking for their first win of the season, the Wildcats will be welcoming in a Bruins team who just got knocked off at home as 3-point favorites vs. ASU.

Can the Bruins get back to their winning ways? Let’s take a closer look.

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Details

• Opening Line: Arizona +16, O/U 61
• Current Line: Arizona +16, O/U 61

Overview 

The Chip Kelly bet was finally supposed to be paying off for the Bruins as they had cracked the top 20 were at a blistering pace on offense, averaging nearly 40 points per game through their first four. And then came the Sun Devils, who exploded for 18 points in the second half to knock off the Bruins at home 42-23.

While quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson could have been better, their lack of ability to stop the run tells the story as the Sun Devils rushed for 181 yards and three touchdowns on the evening in a game where UCLA won the time of possession by five minutes.

Currently, on their third quarterback of this young season, the Wildcats gunslinger will likely be a game-time decision come Saturday night but the options are slim for the picking. Most recently going with Jordan McCloud vs. Oregon, the junior threw five interceptions on the day and finished with a QBR of 80.6. Sophomores Gunner Cruz and Will Plummer haven’t had much luck of their own in 2021 either, with a combined touchdown to interception ratio of 4:4 in the three previous games they each saw time.

Things aren’t much better on the defensive side of the ball, as the Wildcats rank dead last in the PAC-12 having allowed 31 points per game through their first four.

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Trends 

• A favorite is on a 10-3-1 ATS in L14 Bruins/Wildcats matchups
• Over is 5-2 in L7 Bruins games

Bottom Line

For the winless Wildcats, the road gets even tougher Saturday evening as they welcome a pissed of Bruins team to town looking to take out last week’s frustration. And I believe that’s exactly what they’ll do.

Having edges across the board from a talent perspective, Arizona wasn’t been able to out scheme even FCS Northern Arizona and now must face a Chip Kelly offense who is as familiar with the personnel he’ll face on Saturday as anyone in the country. I look for UCLA to get back to their winning ways as the battle for the South is still far from over.

Pick: UCLA -16

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