UCLA Bruins 2016 College Football Betting Preview, Championship Odds

The Bruins fell to five losses last year after back-to-back 10-win seasons. UCLA finished 5-8 against the spread and is just 10-16 ATS over the last two seasons at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. Led by one of the best quarterback prospects in the country this year, UCLA hopes to rebound and once again contend for a division title.

2015 UCLA record: 8-5 SU, 6-7 ATS

2016 regular-season wins over/under: 9.0

2016 odds to win Pac-12: +350

Odds to win national championship: +5000

Last Year in Review

The Bruins started 4-0 last year, with wins over BYU and Arizona, rising to No. 7 in the polls. But the injuries started piling up, especially on defense, and UCLA lost to Arizona State and Stanford.  

The Bruins then won three in a row, but were upset at home by Washington State. A win at Utah got them to the season finale against USC with a chance to win the Pac-12 South, but they lost to their cross-town rivals at the Coliseum.   

UCLA then embarrassed itself with a 37-29 defeat in the Foster Farms Bowls against a Nebraska team that shouldn't have even been playing in a bowl.   

This Year in Preview

The Bruins return 13 starters for this season, three less than they had for last year. Just four starters return on offense, following the losses of last year's leading rusher, top two receivers and three along the offensive line.

But they do return quarterback Josh Rosen (60 percent completions, almost 3,700 yards as a freshman last year). And nine starters return on defense, including six of the back seven.

UCLA averaged almost 466 yards per game on offense last year, while allowing almost 402 YPG on defense. We're not sure if the Bruins can match that offensive production this season, but they should improve that number on defense.

UCLA 2016 Schedule   

The Bruins begin this season with a visit to Texas A&M and will visit BYU two weeks later. From there, they only have to play four Pac-12 road games, all of which seem winnable, and get to face their three toughest conference games against Stanford, Utah and USC, all at the Rose Bowl.

They also avoid two of the top teams from the North, Oregon and Washington. If UCLA wins the games it should, it might only need a split with the Cardinal and Trojans to win the South.   

Betting on the Bruins   

UCLA possesses several of the ingredients needed to be successful for this season, but must play six true road games and several tough home games. There are at least six potential losses on that slate. That's why we're thinking the under on the Bruins' season wins total.