College Football Picks: Houston vs. UCLA Odds: September 18th 2010

Houston vs. UCLA
Pick: Houston -3 -110 odds
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I’ve bet and cashed against UCLA in each of their first two games, and there’s absolutely no reason to hop off the anti-Bruins train here. Rick Neuheisel’s squad was besieged with injuries in each of the last two seasons, and so far, that trend has continued. Starting quarterback Kevin Prince has been limited since the first day of practice, suffering from a slightly torn back muscle. He was benched in the second half last week, but is expected to line up behind center again here; bad news for a confidence-less team that lost 35-0 at home with Prince last Saturday.

Prince’s ailments are just the tip of the iceberg with significant injury concerns on both sides of the line of scrimmage. The Bruins will be missing Xavier Su’a Filo (mission), Jeff Baca (academics), Nik Abele (neck) and Kai Maiava (ankle). Stanley Hasiek flunked out of school. Eddie Williams has missed a bunch of practice time with concussion issues, although he is expected to suit up. The injuries and attrition don’t end there. Star defensive end Datone Jones – their only returning starter on the defensive line – broke his foot in practice. Offensive tackle Mike Harris (18 career starts) was suspended for the opener and didn’t see the field last week. This team is noticeably weak on both the offensive and defensive lines.

This line is sitting at -3 because of concerns about the health of Houston quarterback Case Keenum. I’m willing to support the Cougars whether Keenum plays or not – backup Cotton Turner can fill the void if necessary. Houston won SU on the road at Oklahoma State and Mississippi State last year; two teams that are better than UCLA. They’ve scored 31+ in each of their last eight road games; bad news for a downtrodden Bruins offense that averaged 23 ppg in ’06, 22 ppg in ’07, 18 ppg in ’08 and 22 ppg last year. UCLA just can’t trade points with an offense of this caliber. (#191) 2* Take Houston.