Cougars vs Bruins NCAA Football Odds
After coming from behind to beat the Colorado Buffaloes (1-4, 0-2) 31-27 last week, the Washington State Cougars have a real chance at shaking off their reputation as PAC 12 doormat when they play UCLA (2-3, 1-1) on Saturday night.
Cougars vs. Bruins
Venue/Stadium: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Time/Date: 10:30 PM ET, Saturday, October 8, 2011
NFL Odds From: Betonline.com
Spread (ATS): UCLA -4
Over/Under: 60
The Cougars charged in to Boulder as 4-point road dogs and pulled a real upset at Folsom Field. Beating Colorado may not be a big deal for most programs, but for a team that went 2-10 with one conference win last year, it’s a huge deal. And winning in Pasadena could give them the confidence they’ll need when they take on No. 4 Stanford in front of their home crowd next week.
In short, this is an up and coming program that’s getting ready to become a real force in the PAC 12.
UCLA , on the other hand, has not exactly been having a great year so far. They’ve barely been beating teams like Oregon State (0-4, 0-2) and San Jose State (2-3, 1-1).
Last week the Cardinal used them as punching bags while pulling off a 45-19 win. Andrew Luck scored at will on a Bruin defense that seemed helpless against the onslaught.
To say UCLA’s defense is having a tough year is a bit of an understatement. They haven’t seen a sack in the their last three games and are giving up points at a frenzied pace. Some critics have pointed to head coach Rick Neuheisel’s flashy style that may not put enough emphasis on teamwork. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
A less than productive UCLA offense hasn’t helped matters much either. While they put up a lot of points in their week one loss to Houston, they haven’t scored more than twenty point in a game since then.
Junior quarterback Richard Brehaut is currently 62-112 for 907 yards and only six touchdowns. After their stellar performance last week, the WSU defense is likely keep him from seeing the end zone much in this outing.
Whatever it is that’s holding back the Bruin D is good news for the Cougars.
Wash State quarterback Marshall Lobbestael is the fourth leading passer in the country and is currently 90-142 for 1335 yards and thirteen touchdowns. That’s pretty impressive for a guy who came off the bench in week one to replace Jeff Tuel, who suffered both a stomach virus and a fractured clavicle on the same day.
Lobbestael’s weak spot is that he throws a few too many picks, thirteen so far this season. If the Bruins can grab a few of those errant balls, they could scare him off the pass and force the Cougars to rely on the run.
UCLA has dominated this series 38-18-1 but past performances may not be an indication of future results. The newly rejuvenated Cougars present a real threat to the tepid Bruins and could easily pull off an upset here.
Washington State 3-1 ATS and UCLA is 1-4 ATS.
Matt’s Prediction: Washington State 35-21
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One reply on “Pac 12 Week 6: Cougars vs. Bruins Preview & Prediction”
Correction to: “Lobbestael’s weak spot is that he throws a few too many picks, thirteen so far this season.”
He’s only thrown three picks on the season.