UCLA
vs.
Washington
College Football
FRee Pick
10/28/17
The path is still open for Washington to reach the College Football Playoff, but after a loss to Arizona State, voters won’t be keen on backing the Huskies. In their first Game since that loss, they should at least get back on track against UCLA. The Huskies were large -17.5 favorites early in the week at 5Dimes Sportsbook.
Yet another season has turned into a mess for UCLA and it’s not looking to get better with trips to UCLA, Utah and USC remaining on the Schedule. With one of the worst defenses in the country, things haven’t worked out for them. If Washington doesn’t reach 30 or even 40 points in this one, something is definitely wrong with the offense after scoring only seven points against ASU.
But it’s best to put faith in the Huskies with veterans across the offensive side of the ball. Jake Browning may not have as good of numbers as a year ago, but he’s still completing 68.5 percent of his passes with only three interceptions. The running Game is in a similar situation as Myles Gaskin is averaging a career-best 6.0 yards per carry, yet only has surpassed 100 yards twice. This comes on the heels of back-to-back 1,300-yard campaigns to open his collegiate career.
The good news is that the Bruins allow an astronomical 300 rushing yards and 36.7 points per Game. Their run defense has been an embarrassment so if Washington can’t get anything going here, it’d be alarming. Gaskin and his backup LAvon Coleman should both be headed for huge Games.
Covering this Game will depend on what Josh Rosen can do for UCLA. Washington should Scoreat will in this matchup, but if Rosen can move the ball consistently, that could keep the Bruins somewhat close. In previous Games against high-scoring teams, Rosen hasn’t done enough to cover, like in the 24-point loss to Stanford or 17-point loss to Arizona. This could be a similar result to those, mainly because Washington’s defense is still best in the country from a yardage perspective giving up 237 total yards and only 10.6 points per Game.
Rosen is a good quarterback, but he can’t do everything himself. He even threw for 480 yards against Stanford, yet the Bruins still lost that Game by more than three touchdowns. Rosen could rack up 300-plus yards again, but that may not be enough to cover for UCLA. The Bruins are running the ball better than a year ago with Bolu Olorunfunmi and Soso Jamabo both averaging at least five yards per carry, but that hasn’t mattered because the defense allows points on almost every possession. Now against maybe the best run defense they’ve faced, that will put even more pressure on Rosen.
Coming off a week of rest following their first loss, there is a possibility that Washington runs the Scoreup in this Game and that will force Rosen into mostly difficult situations. Playing at home, the Huskies are much easier to back as their only other Pac-12 home Game was a 38-7 win against Cal. The Bruins are 1-5 ATS in their last six Conference Games and haven’t covered in their last Four on the road. The Huskies are 5-1 ATS in their last six Conference Games and 9-3 ATS in their last 12 following a bye week.
Our Pick – Washington -17.5