Arizona State vs. UCLA: Spread Info, Line, BCS Impact and Predictions

The Arizona State Sun Devils have had some issues playing on the road this season, so you can rest assured that they are not taking Saturday's tilt at the UCLA Bruins lightly.

On the surface, this appears to be a winnable game for Arizona State. But deep down, every winnable game is a trap game. It's just a matter of whether or not the trap will be sprung.

Will Arizona State spring the trap? Let's discuss.

Where: Rose Bowl

When: Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET

Watch: Versus

Spread: Arizona State -8.5, according to Sportsbook.

Not exactly a surprise here. When the Sun Devils win, they tend to win big. The issue will be whether or not they can win big on the road, as they have won just a single road game this year. My guess is that they'll be able to pull it off. Arizona State has its issues, but not nearly as many as UCLA, which will be ripe for a reality check after a win over a bad Cal team.

Over/Under: 56 points, according to Sportsbook.

Tough one. The problem I have with this figure is that UCLA doesn't tend to score much when it loses, and the Sun Devils have the kind of defense that could hold the Bruins to under 20 points. I'm not entirely sure I like Arizona State to score many more than 30 points on the road, so the under seems like the best way to go here.

Key Injuries

Per the USA Today, the Sun Devils have two players listed as questionable and one listed as probable. Offensive lineman Evan Finkenberg (knee) and cornerback Deveron Carr (concussion) are both questionable, and tight end Trevor Kohl is probable with a shoulder injury.

The Bruins are going to get four players back from suspensions resulting from UCLA's recent scrum with Arizona, but they still have a couple of players listed on their injury report.

For starters, kicker Kip Smith (hip) and safety Deitrich Riley (neck) are both listed as doubtful. Safety Alex Mascarenas (concussion), cornerback Jamie Graham (knee) and guard Chris Ward (knee) are listed as questionable.

BCS/Top 25 Implications

Both of these teams are trying to win the Pac-12 South division to earn a spot in the conference championship game. A win there would presumably mean a spot in the Rose Bowl.

Arizona State is currently No. 19 in the BCS rankings and could move up a spot or two after a road win. That will depend on which teams ahead of the Sun Devils lose this weekend.

Keys to Arizona State Win

The Bruins don't have much in the way of offense, so the Sun Devils really only need to keep from making mistakes defensively in order to keep the Bruins under wraps. This will start with slowing down UCLA's rushing attack, which is third in the Pac-12 in yards gained.

If Arizona State can play the kind of defense it is capable of playing, this game shouldn't present too many problems.

Keys to UCLA Win

Obviously, the Bruins want the exact opposite to happen with their running game. It's pretty much the only way they're going to be able to move the ball offensively, and it will help keep Arizona State's 18th-ranked passing offense off the field.

Prediction: Arizona State 31, UCLA 14

The Sun Devils are the better football team on both sides of the football, so they should win this one. UCLA looked pretty good last week, but the Bruins are about to go back to looking like the Bruins.