Colorado vs. UCLA: Can Deion Sanders, Colorado Bounce Back Against Bruins?
The Colorado Buffaloes are coming off of a much-needed bye week to take on the UCLA Trojans on Saturday night. Can coach Deion Sanders and his Colorado squad bounce back after blowing a massive lead to Stanford two weeks ago? Ben Rajavuori breaks down this Pac-12 battle.
Ben Rajavuori - October 27, 2023, 5:04 PM EDT
6 minColorado vs. UCLA: Can Deion Sanders, Colorado Bounce Back Against Bruins?
Coach Prime and the Buffaloes are coming off their worst game of the season, an outright overtime loss to Stanford. Colorado took a 29-0 lead into halftime before watching it vanish in the second half, only to take the game to overtime and blow it. Meanwhile, UCLA hosted Stanford last week while Colorado was on a bye week and beat the Cardinals 42-7. The optics for how both teams just played Stanford don't look great, which is why Colorado is a 16-point underdog in Pasadena this weekend. Can Prime bounce back?
Colorado vs. UCLA Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: October 28, 2023
- Game Time: 7:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Colorado vs. UCLA Prediction
People have been very quick to write Colorado off this season, and have hopped off the Coach Prime train as quickly as they jumped on. As bad as the last loss was for Colorado, they are still 4-3, and can still make a bowl game this season.
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was an early Heisman candidate after starting the season 3-0, and beating then-ranked No. 17 TCU on the road in Week 1. Colorado got off to a hot start, but they have also played close games. Their only blowout loss was a 42-6 drubbing at the hands of Oregon, who is one of the best teams in the nation.
UCLA moved up two spots to No. 23 after last week's win over Stanford. UCLA's quarterback situation has been a bit of a mess, though. The true freshman Dante Moore had started most of the team's games, before Ethan Garbers got the start last week against Stanford. The game before, Moore had a bad outing against Oregon State, going 14-for-33 with 165 yards and three interceptions. Chip Kelly said Moore is not injured, so Garber's start against Stanford was a bit odd. Nonetheless, it looks like Moore is expected to be back starting against Colorado, and he will need a better performance than he had against Oregon State to win. He is now 1-2 in Pac-12 play this season.
I have only bet on Colorado once this season, and it was against that horrible USC defense. While UCLA's defense is better than USC's, the game feels similar in that Colorado can make up for their defensive shortcomings with a high-octane offense. Colorado has also played ranked opponents this season, playing the aforementioned TCU and previously No. 8 USC. They beat TCU and lost to USC by a touchdown. Colorado has not played well as a favorite this season, but they have been a scrappy team as underdogs, as shown against the best teams they have played on their schedule. This should be a back-and-forth game with a generous amount of scoring, so I will happily take 16 points with Colorado and back them to keep this to a two-possession game.
Colorado vs. UCLA Pick
Pick: Colorado +16 (-110) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
Win a $50 Gift Card on College Football Saturday
Think you know what's going to happen in various games on College Football Saturday this week? Answer the pick questions below for your chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card!
College Football Odds
