UCLA Bruins vs. BYU Cougars Betting Odds, Analysis, College Football Pick

Brigham Young owns an eight-game home winning streak, going 6-2 against the spread during that run. UCLA is 11-3 straight up and 8-6 ATS over its last 14 games on the road. In a rematch of a pretty good contest from last season, the Cougars battle the Bruins on Saturday in Provo, Utah.

Point spread: The Bruins opened as four-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 34.4-30.0 Cougars (college football picks on every game)

Why the UCLA Bruins can cover the spread

The Bruins bounced back following that season-opening loss at Texas A&M to beat UNLV last week 42-21. UCLA drove 71 yards on its opening possession to take a 7-0 lead on the Rebels, stretched that to 28-7 midway through the second quarter, allowed UNLV to sneak within 28-21 in the third but then put the game away with a pair of scores in the fourth.

For the night, the Bruins outgained the Rebels 499-328, rushing for 219 yards and passing for 280 more. Quarterback Josh Rosen recovered from a poor performance against the Aggies to hit on 23 of 38 throws, with one touchdown against zero interceptions, while running back Soso Jamabo ran 11 times for 90 yards and three scores.

Two weeks ago, UCLA fell at Texas A&M by a score of 31-24 in double overtime but actually outgained the Aggies 468-442. Also, the Bruins just beat BYU last year 24-23 at the Rose Bowl.

Why the BYU Cougars can cover the spread

Brigham Young is also 1-1 this season and 2-0 ATS following a tough 20-19 loss at Utah last week. The Cougars gave the Utes a defensive touchdown on the first play of the game, rallied to take a 13-7 lead in the second quarter and then trailed 20-13 late. BYU then scored on a seven-yard scramble by quarterback Taysom Hill with 18 seconds to go, pulling to within one point, but it eschewed overtime, went for two and came up short.

Nonetheless, the Cougars covered as three-point dogs.

Two weeks ago, BYU won a close contest, nipping Arizona 18-16, covering as a one-point favorite. Finally, while the Cougars lost to the Bruins last year, they led that game well into the fourth quarter and easily covered as 16-point underdogs.

Smart pick

These teams played a barn-burner last year, and there's little reason to believe Saturday night's game will be much different. Ultimately, BYU's edge on defense should make the difference. The value here resides with the Cougars, plus the points.

Betting trends

The visiting team is 0-3 SU in its last three games in this matchup.

BYU is 5-1 ATS in its last six games in September.

UCLA is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games on the road.

All college football betting lines and point spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.