Sun Bowl Betting Odds: Favored UCLA Bruins Eyeing First Bowl Win Since 2014 Season
Pittsburgh Will Be Missing a Couple of Key Players in the Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl:Pittsburgh Panthers vs UCLA Bruins
Date & Time:
Location: Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX
Streaming: Live Stream Sports
UCLA Headed to El Paso Looking for First 10-Win Season Since 2014
It is hard to believe that UCLA Bruins hasn’t played in a bowl game since 2017. The Bruins were selected to play North Carolina State in the 2021 Holiday Bowl, but pulled out several hours before kickoff as a result of COVID-related issues within the team. The last time UCLA won a bowl game came on Jan. 2, 2015 with a 40-35 win in the Alamo Bowl. Still, the Sun Bowl betting odds favor the Bruins.
Pittsburgh is in a bowl game for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Panthers have lost their last four bowl games against teams from the Power-5 conferences.
The Panthers will be without starting quarterback Kedon Slovis, who is in the transfer portal. As well as All-American defensive lineman Calijah Kancey and defensive back and second-leading tackler Brandon Hill. Slovis would have generated plenty of attention considering that he started his career at USC and would have been facing former rival UCLA for the third time after throwing nine touchdown passes in wins over the Bruins in 2019 and 2020.
UCLA Bruins finished 18th in the final College Football Playoff rankings while Pittsburgh was unranked. The Bruins were also ranked 18th in the Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association polls. The Panthers did come in at No. 30 in the coaches’ poll.
Is the Sun Bowl Set to Come Down to the Bitter End Once Again?
Six of the last seven Sun Bowls were decided by six points or less with Pac-12 teams winning six of the last eight contests. That includes UCLA’s 42-12 victory against Virginia Tech in 2013. The Bruins are 3-1 in the Sun Bowl while Pittsburgh is 2-2.
UCLA is 3-2 and Pittsburgh 2-2 in one-score games during this college football season and that is something to keep in mind when looking at the UCLA vs Pitt odds.
Senior defensive back Erick Hallett, who has 47 tackles and three interceptions, is one of five Texas natives on the Pittsburgh roster. Nate Yarnell, one of the quarterbacks who could see action, is also returning home.
UCLA features defensive linemen Gabriel Murphy and his brother Grayson, North Texas transfers who combined for 60 tackles and 13 tackles for loss this season.
Hitting the Ground Running
When the top returning running backs in the country were mentioned heading into the season, the name of Israel Abanikanda was noticeably absent. He had one 100-yard game over his first two seasons at Pittsburgh.
He has certainly made up for lost time. Beginning with a 320-yard effort in a win over Virginia Tech, he has six consecutive 100-yard with 14 touchdowns over that span. Still, the Sun Bowl betting odds list Pittsburgh as the underdog.
His 1,431 yards are the most for a Pittsburgh back since James Conner, now with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, rushed for 1,765 yards during the 2014 season. Abanikanda might have had a shot at that number had he not missed the Syracuse game or being limited to just eight carries in the season-opening win over West Virginia.
He will be facing the third-best rushing defense in the Pac-12.
High-Flying Bruins
After gradual improvement in 2020 and 2021, the offensive began to fire on all cylinders this NCAAF season and that is one of the reasons that the Sun Bowl betting odds favor the Bruins.
Just three years ago, there were six teams in the Pac-12 that averaged more yards per game than UCLA.
Only Tennessee and Washington average more yards per game than the 507.9 put up by the Bruins.
UCLA needs 43 rushing yards to join UCF as the only team with at least 3,000 yards both rushing and passing this season. The UCF Knights have played an additional game thanks to reaching the American Athletic Conference title game.
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has thrown for 2,883 yards and 25 touchdowns to go with 632 rushing yards and 11 more, check all his season’ NCAAF scores. Despite missing two games, Zach Charbonnet has rushed for 1,359 yards while Duke transfer Jake Bobo is the team leader with 54 catches and 789 receiving yards.
Bruins Loving Life As Bowl Favorite
Success in college football bowl games has been elusive for Pittsburgh as the Panthers have dropped seven of their last nine contests. They have failed to cover in each of those losses. Having key players either transfer or opt out isn’t going to help Pitt’s chances to reverse that trend. Despite the opt outs, the line hasn’t moved much. It opened with UCLA favored by four points and it is now at 3.5
Pittsburgh and UCLA have seen games go over the total this season and that includes an 8-1 mark away from home.
Pitt is 0-5 against the spread in its last five games when listed as the underdog. UCLA has won 10 of its last 11 games when listed as the favorite.
When looking at the college bowl spreads, Pittsburgh was -7 in turnover margin in the four losses compared to +5 in the eight wins. It is a similar story for UCLA. The Bruins are -5 in the three losses and has just one takeaway in those games. The numbers jump to 16 takeaways and a +7 turnover margin so ball security could be crucial in this NCAAF matchup.
Follow us on Twitter
