Week 8: #18 Bruins vs Bears Odds
College football Week 8 betting action sees the #18 UCLA Bruins taking on the California Golden Bears on Saturday October 18th at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. Cappers Picks provides free NCAA football handicapping tips all season long.
With both UCLA and Cal losing big last week, each school is looking to get back on track in the tough-as-nails Pac-12. Anything goes weekly, as UCLA was downed by Oregon 42-30 and Cal was dismissed by Washington 31-7 – while both schools were playing at home.
College Football Lines
#18 UCLA (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) @ California (4-2, 2-2 Pac-12)
Saturday, October 18th 3:30 PM ET @ Memorial Stadium – Berkeley
NCAA Football Spread: UCLA -7
NCAA Football O/U: 74
***2014 CFB BONUSES***
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UCLA is dealing with two straight losses. The loss to Oregon could have been predicted, but the previous week’s loss to Utah put a serious damper on UCLA’s season. While they are far from out of it at this point, UCLA needs a win here to keep hope alive in the Pac-12 South.
California is just looking to find ways to win. While their offense is one of the better in college football, it is solely based on the fact that the defense cannot stay on the field.
#18 UCLA
With the team looking healthy again, the Bruins are trying to avenge two straight losses to conference opponents. They aren’t out of the Pac-12 race yet, but cannot afford to lose this one to Cal. The Bruins have not won a game at Cal since 1998.
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Brett Hundley had a lot of hype behind him coming into this season. While his Heisman bid is probably over, he can still attain Pac-12 glory if the Bruins can win out. On the season, Hundley has completed 117 of 162 passes for 1,526 yards, 11 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He also has 75 carries for 211 yards and 3 scores.
A large part of the success on offense could go to Hundley, but running back Paul Perkins deserves a lot of the credit. While he’s only found the end zone 3 times this season, he has amassed 727 yards rushing on 115 carries so far this season – good for 2nd in the Pac-12. He also has 13 receptions for 92 yards.
Jordan Payton has been the go-to guy in the receiving game, racking up 552 yards on 37 receptions for 5 touchdowns. Thomas Duarte has 15 catches for 282 yards and 2 touchdowns and Eldridge Massington isn’t far behind with 14 catches for 278 yards and 2 scores.
Eric Kendricks has led the Bruins defense this season, racking up a team-leading 68 total tackles, 3 for loss, an interception, 2 passes defended, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
California
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Despite their 4-2 record so far, Cal has had its struggles. Their offense has been able to overpower lesser teams while they have lost the games that were against schools who play actual defense. This week, they play a off again and on again UCLA defense who could allow this game to play out into Cal’s strengths.
Jared Goff is already statistically better this season than last season. He has completed 152 of 232 passes for 2,179 yards, 22 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He has SIX receivers over the 200 yard mark and THREE over the 300 yard mark this season.
Leading in receiving is Bryce Treggs, who has 29 grabs for 360 yards and 5 touchdowns. Trevor Davis has 18 catches for 331 yards and 3 touchdowns while Chris Harper has 20 grabs for 305 yards and 3 scores. Tying Treggs’ 5 receiving scores is Kenny Lawler, with 299 yards on 25 receptions.
While the passing game has received all the attention, a lot of success has come from the feet of Daniel Lasco. On 83 carries so far this season, Lasco has run for 479 yards and 4 scores. Khalfani Muhammad also has 4 scores on the ground for the Bears, to go with his 170 rushing yards.
The defense has been abysmal. What’s even worse for the Bears is the loss of top defender Griffin Piatt to a season-ending ligament tear. The team has 10 sacks and 6 interceptions so far this season as a whole.
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NCAA football handicapping trends
- Bruins are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a double-digit loss at home
- Bruins are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 road games vs. a team with a winning home record
- Golden Bears are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record
- Golden Bears are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games following a ATS loss
- Golden Bears are 3-14 ATS in their last 17 home games
Week 8 NCAA Football Prediction
It’s really hard to predict this game with the implications of a looming shootout. A type of game in which Cal has dominated. If UCLA’s defense comes to play, this game isn’t even close. If the defense is shaky, though, it could open this one wide open.
4* Free NCAA Betting Pick: UCLA -7
Even if a shootout goes down in Berkeley, UCLA has the edge in this one.
Final Week 8 Score: #18 UCLA 42 – Cal 21
It’s hard NOT to pick the over, but UCLA should be at least 7 points better than the Bears here.
Check out our Updated College Football Week 8 Odds.
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