UCLA vs Houston Free Week 1 College Football Pick + Betting Preview
Quarterback Case Keenum will enter his sixth-year with the Cougars after patrolling the sidelines for most of 2010 with a torn ACL, and will attempt to reverse last season’s loss at UCLA with a win in Houston’s home opener at Robertson’s Stadium on Saturday.
UCLA vs. Houston
Venue/Stadium: Robertson Stadium, Houston, Texas
Time/Date: 3:30 PM ET, Saturday, September 3, 2011
CFB Odds From: 5 Dimes
Moneyline: OFF
Spread (ATS): Houston -3 100
Over/Under: 61.5 -110
Click here for the ATS Gambling Report for this game!
Keenum not enters this weekend’s contest as a recently married man, but also as a serious threat to set a slew of NCAA passing records, including the all-time career yardage mark.
He will look to return to form after passing for nearly 5,700 yards in 2009, and will get a lot of help from a Cougars squad that is deep at all the offensive skill positions.
However, defense is a question mark, though the Cougars secondary does look better that it did last season, after yielding 228 yards in the air, and 32.2 points per game.
They may also get a bit of a reprieve as the Bruins are coming off a disappointing 2010 campaign, having lost six of its last seven games under fourth-year head coach Rick Neuheisel.
They did beat Houston, though, 31-13 in Week 3 , setting off a three-game winning streak that also included a win at Texas. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Okay, so the Cougars lost Keenum in the second quarter of that game, but UCLA was leading 21-3 at that point and was dominating. So does that mean the Bruins should beat Houston on Saturday?
Well playing on the road is never easy, and Neuheisel, who is known as an offensive guru, has not been able to produce a good offense in L.A. yet. The Bruins were ninth in the Pac-10 in scoring and last in passing offense in 2010.
Nevertheless, with a new season brings renewed confidence and Richard Brehaut who came in to start the final six contests of the 2010 season following an injury to starting quarterback Kevin Prince, continued to make progress while setting a school record last season for most completions in a game with 33 at Arizona State.
He is expected to get the nod from Neuheisel this weekend.
The Bruins also will rely on one of the PAC-12’s best running backs in Johnathan Franklin who finished last season with 1,127 yards on 214 carries with eight TDs. The junior freight train slashed his way to 156 yards and 3 scores in last year’s meeting with the Cougars.
NCAA Gambling Trends:
UCLA are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
Under is 17-6 in UCLA last 23 games on grass.
Over is 7-3 in UCLA last 10 non-conference games.
Over is 7-1 in HOU last 8 home games.
Over is 8-2 in HOU last 10 games on grass.
Over is 15-5 in HOU last 20 games in September.
Matt’s Prediction: Houston 31, UCLA 14
This is quite possibly Houston’s biggest game of the season, and with temperatures expected well into the 100s, the Cougars hold a sizzling home field advantage to go along with its smoking quarterback.
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