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Free Pick: #12 UCLA vs. #15 Arizona State Betting Odds & Preview

Week 5: #12 Bruins vs #15 Sun Devils

College football Week 5 betting action sees the #12 UCLA Bruins taking on the #15 Arizona State Sun Devils on Thursday September 25th at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. Cappers Picks provides free NCAA football handicapping tips all season long.

After surviving a close one last week against Texas, the Bruins of UCLA are thankful to have QB Brett Hundley back in action this week against the Sun Devils. On the flip side, Arizona State will be in the opposite position, with starting QB Taylor Kelly ruled out this week.

College Football Lines

#12 UCLA (3-0, 0-0 Pac-12) @ #15 Arizona State (3-0, 1-0 Pac-12)
Thursday, September 25th 10:00 PM ET @ Sun Devil Stadium – Tempe
NCAA Football Spread: UCLA -5
NCAA Football O/U: OFF
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Click here to view… ATS Stats & Expert NCAA Betting Prediction Insight!

UCLA has been pulling out gutsy wins despite shaky play on both offense and defense. Even with backup QB Jerry Neuheisel in for Hundley, the Bruins held off the Longhorns to avoid the scare and stay alive in the Pac-12 South race.

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For Arizona State, the loss of Kelly could spell trouble. While the team is confident in backup Mike Bercovici, this is a must-win to keep pace in the Pac-12 South race.

With USC’s close calls already, both the Bruins and Sun Devils are keying in on a crack at the Pac-12 title game. This game could make or break their chances.

#12 UCLA

UCLA held their breath when Brett Hundley had to come out of the game early against Texas. Enter Jerry Neuheisel, who helped navigate a late touchdown drive to give the Bruins a 20-17 victory. Neuheisel was 23 of 30 for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Paul Perkins and Jordan Payton led the way in the receiving game, as they have much of the season thus far. Perkins had 5 grabs for 69 yards while Payton had 4 grabs for 64 yards and a touchdown.

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Perkins, also the leading running back on the team, rushed 24 times for 126 yards. He now has 304 yards and 3 touchdowns on the year for UCLA. Jordon James had 8 carries for 69 yards and linebacker Myles Jack got a few more carries on offense, going 14 yards on 5 carries.

On defense, Eric Kendricks and Randall Goforth have led the way on the sometimes-shaky Bruins defense. Young linebacker Myles Jack has made his impact felt as well, making several big tackles.

The biggest fear for UCLA was shaken last week. With the loss of Hundley, many thought the Bruins might fall into a tailspin. With Neuheisel’s clutch play, those fears were washed away…for now.

#15 Arizona State

After getting a big conference opener against Colorado, the Sun Devils are looking to keep the ball rolling against Pac-12 foe UCLA. In a possible preview of the Pac-12 South title game, Arizona State is looking for some big play from an unexpected player.

With ASU starting quarterback Taylor Kelly ruled out this week with a right foot injury he injured last week in the Colorado game, Mike Bercovici is filling in. This being his first career start, Bercovici has seen mostly mop-up duty in his ASU career.

Running back D.J. Foster will have no issue picking up the slack. He has been the right hand man to Kelly this season, rushing the ball 54 times for 510 yards and 5 touchdowns. Foster is also the second leading receiver, with 19 catches for 168 yards and 1 touchdown.

Jaelen Strong is leading the team in receiving, with 19 receptions for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns.

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The Sun Devil defense has held up its end. With 21 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 2 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, 9 passes defended, 4 fumble recoveries and a blocked kick, Arizona State will no doubt give UCLA a hard time.

NCAA football handicapping trends

  •  Bruins are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a bye week
  •  Bruins are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 Thursday games
  •  Bruins are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game
  •  Sun Devils are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a bye week
  •  Home team is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 meetings

Week 5 NCAA Football Prediction

UCLA is always a hard team to beat. After the resiliency they showed last week, it’s a tough sell to say they could lose.

And that’s exactly what I’m doing.

Even with Taylor Kelly out, the Sun Devils are dangerous. And they’re at home…

4* Free NCAA Betting Pick: Arizona State +5
Final Week 5 Score: #12 UCLA 24 – #15 Arizona State 31

Check out our Updated College Football Week 5 Odds.

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By Brandon Banks

Brandon Banks is a newcomer to the Cappers Picks Blog, he has been a sports writer for a few years now. He's been a very successful bettor, especially in NFL, College football & NCAA hoops betting. Reasons for success - not affiliated with any SCAMDICAPPERS. Stay tuned to Brandon, he'll be picking NFL, CFB, CBB and NBA games daily here on the blog.