Two new Big Ten teams square off on the West Coast, as the UCLA Bruins (4-5, 3-4 Big Ten) head to Seattle to face the Washington Huskies (5-5, 3-4) on Friday night. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. ET on FOX.
After an abysmal — and I mean abysmal — start to the season, UCLA has won 3 straight games. Last week's 20-17 win over Iowa was a special situation when the Hawkeyes rolled out their 5th-string quarterback. Ethan Garbers had better days after throwing two picks, but TJ Harden made a difference with 131 rushing yards.
It’s been an inconsistent season for the Huskies, who have fallen in 3 out of their last 4. It wasn’t so happy in Happy Valley, as they were embarrassed by Penn State, 35-6, last week.
Quarterback Will Rogers was pulled after the first half, and head coach Jedd Fisch turned to true freshman Demond Williams Jr. However, you should expect Rogers to be back in the saddle this time.
Where does the betting value lie? Read further for my UCLA vs. Washington predictions and college football picks for Friday, Nov. 16.
UCLA vs. Washington Prediction, Picks
- UCLA vs Washington Pick: UCLA +3.5
My Washington vs. UCLA best bet is on the Bruins to cover the spread, with the best line currently available at FanDuel, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
UCLA vs. Washington Odds, Line, Spread
| UCLA Bruins Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
+4.5 -110 | 47 -110o / -110u | +160 |
| Washington Huskies Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
-4.5 -110 | 47 -110o / -110u | -190 |
- UCLA vs. Washington Spread: Washington -4.5 · UCLA +4.5
- UCLA vs. Washington Over/Under: 47 Total Points
- UCLA vs. Washington Moneyline: Washington ML -190, UCLA ML +160
UCLA Bruins vs. Washington Huskies Betting Preview
UCLA Bruins Betting Preview
Turnovers have been the bane of Garbers’ existence this season. He was having a solid stretch against Nebraska and Rutgers but fell right back into his ways last week.
Most expected this season to be a rough one for the Bruins, so the fact that they’re 4-5 is a massive boost.
Whatever season-wide metrics I’d usually point out like Success Rate, explosiveness and EPA don’t have a whole lot of merit, because they’re all bad. However, Garbers has been wildly efficient in the past three games, completing 74% of his passes.
Logan Loya has been a favorite of Garbers because injuries have depleted this team. UCLA has barely seen J. Michael Sturdivant all season, and tight end Moliki Matavao missed last week's game.
Another pain point has been the run game. Harden’s 131-yard game may have been an aberration since he only ran for over 50 yards once this season prior.
The defense may be trending up, though, as the Bruins only let Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson — who usually runs for 7.1 yards per carr —, rush for 3.3 YPC last week.
For a team like Washington and its efficient run game, this is certainly something to watch out for.
Washington Huskies Betting Preview
Rogers getting demoted last week had to be a kick in the gut. The senior quarterback has had himself an impressive season, but as of late, his play has dropped off.
In the past three games, he’s thrown three interceptions and a whopping zero touchdowns. That’s with his weapons mostly healthy.
Denzel Boston came out with a quality performance against USC, but Giles Jackson has been virtually invisible in the past three games after a strong start to the season.
Most of the attack has been on the back of Jonah Coleman. If you’ve read my stories throughout the season, you’ll know I’m a big Coleman guy. He’s a bull in a china shop who can run after contact. However, he has a tall task ahead of him.
Defensively, this team does do a lot of things right.
Carson Bruener and Alphonzo Tuputala have been tackling machines, and Washington’s secondary is red hot. Thaddeus Dixon is among the leaders in pass breakups with eight, and Jordan Shaw isn’t too far off with six.
The one problem I see, though, is how many points the Huskies have given up. It hasn’t been the easiest schedule, and they’ve mostly been on the road, but they’ve allowed close to 32 points per game in the past four.
Washington vs. UCLA Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Washington and UCLA match up statistically:
UCLA Offense vs. Washington Defense
 |  Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 132 | 111 | |
| Line Yards | 131 | 100 | |
| Pass Success | 52 | 2 | |
| Havoc | 99 | 105 | |
| Finishing Drives | 128 | 55 | |
| Quality Drives | 40 | 59 | |
Washington Offense vs. UCLA Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 22 | 90 | |
| Line Yards | 22 | 52 | |
| Pass Success | 20 | 95 | |
| Havoc | 49 | 57 | |
| Finishing Drives | 117 | 123 | |
| Quality Drives | 36 | 118 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 46 | 1 |
| PFF Coverage | 60 | 11 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 54 | 127 |
| Middle 8 | 18 | 91 |
| Seconds per Play | 30.7 (128) | 27.7 (84) |
| Rush Rate | 46% (118) | 49% (103) |
UCLA vs. Washington Best Bet, Pick
I wonder about this game because it features two teams going in completely opposite directions.
UCLA has proven it can dismantle its opponents’ run game, and it doesn’t matter what’s in front of it. The three-headed monster of Carson Schwesinger, Kain Medrano and Oluwafemi Oladejo have combined for 17.5 tackles for loss.
Can Coleman break through that? He ran for just 24 yards on 11 carries against Penn State, which is ironically a worse run-stopping team than UCLA.
The one caveat is that Washington is undefeated at home. Most of its victories came in front of its home fans at the start of the season, and then after the Huskies struggled, it returned home to defeat USC.
So, it’s clear there’s a big advantage to playing on home turf. I’m just not very optimistic about the Huskies' prospects for the rest of the season.
There seems to be a lot of trouble brewing in Seattle. With the Huskies’ questions under center and UCLA’s run-stopping ability, I’m banking on this to either be a close game or a Bruins victory.
Pick: UCLA +3.5
UCLA vs. Washington Channel, How to Watch, Streaming, Location
| Location: | Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA |
| Date: | Friday, Nov. 15 |
| Kickoff Time: | 9 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | FOX |
UCLA heads to Seattle on Friday to take on Washington at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.
UCLA vs. Washington Betting Trends to Know
UCLA vs. Washington Weather Forecast
