The Colorado Buffaloes will head West for a Saturday afternoon clash against the No. 23 UCLA Bruins.
Colorado are in danger of falling out of the spotlight after collapsing against Stanford before a well-placed bye week, but a road win over a ranked opponent will regain some attention.
Read on for our Colorado Buffaloes vs. UCLA Bruins college football picks and predictions for Saturday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Colorado vs UCLA Odds
Track our latest CFB odds for Buffaloes vs Bruins:
NCAAF lines used for Colorado vs UCLA were current as of Sept. 22 at 9 p.m. ET on DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Moneyline: UCLA (-950) • Colorado (+625)
- Spread: UCLA -17 (-110) • Colorado +17 (-110)
- Total Points: Over 64 (-105) • Under 64 (-110)
UCLA is a pretty big home favorite in this one, with a semi-major football number of 17 set as the spread. The total is set at 64, which is interesting given the regression of the Colorado offense in recent weeks.
Colorado vs UCLA Prediction
SCORE PICK: UCLA 40, Colorado 13
After a hot start to the season for coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes, headlined by some prolific passing from his son Shedeur Sanders, reality has set in – and then some.
The Buffs have already eclipsed their preseason win total of 3.5, but after blowing a 29-0 lead against Stanford, one of the worst teams in the country, it’s hard to see how many more wins they have on the schedule.
The defense has been an issue all year for Colorado, but the offense sputtered massively down the stretch against Stanford.
It also struggled to the tune of just six points in a road trip to Oregon and 27 at Arizona State, making for a pair of serious letdowns after opening the season with a great performance in Fort Worth against TCU.
With an offense that has struggled away from the massive home-field advantage of Folsom Field, and against the nation’s fifth-best defense by EPA per play, it’s hard to imagine the Buffs hanging around in this one, or even contributing many points towards the total.
Colorado vs UCLA Best Bets
UCLA -17 (-110)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit
UCLA made the switch from true freshman quarterback Dante Moore to the more experienced Ethan Garbers against Stanford, with Moore struggling with some turnovers and inaccuracy.
The freshman’s talent level is undeniable, but he’s just not ready yet, and the change paid immediate dividends; Garbers played solid, mistake-free football, and he even chipped in 51 yards on the ground.
As evidenced by their head-to-head matchup just a couple of weeks ago, Colorado’s defense isn’t profoundly different from the Stanford unit that Garbers sliced up on Saturday.
The offense is never going to be a particularly high-flying one with Garbers at the helm, but he’s more than capable of doing enough to support the excellent run game and help UCLA coast to an easy win.
Under 64 (-110)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit
While Garbers in at quarterback will help the offense be more consistent, it’s always going to be a run-heavy attack with him under center.
The team has run on almost 53% of its snaps this year, and in a game in which it should be ahead for much of the time, it will just feed Carson Steele to keep the clock rolling.
On the defensive side of things, the Bruins are led by one of the best edge duos in the sport, comprised of Laiatu Latu, who has 6.5 sacks and a ridiculous PFF grade of 94.0, and Gabriel Murphy, who is half a notch below in terms of production but still a tremendous talent.
The Colorado offensive line lacks physicality, and it will struggle tremendously to protect Sanders in this one.
Colorado vs UCLA Same-Game Parlay
Colorado vs UCLA SGP (+266)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.50 units
- Under 64 (-110)
- UCLA -17 (-110)
With limited same-game parlay options almost a week away from gameday, we’re going to parlay the two wagers we’ve discussed above, as the UCLA defense should allow the team to pull away without scoring too many points.
Once you’re able, consider replacing the full-game Under with the Under on Colorado’s team total.
That’s another perfect pairing with UCLA on the spread, as it’s pretty impossible to imagine Colorado covering in a game in which it is not surpassing expectations on offense.
