Pittsburgh vs UCLA Prediction & Best Betting Odds | Sun Bowl Preview

Pittsburgh vs UCLA Prediction : The Betting Preview

Sharp money has hit the board in Friday’s UCLA vs Pitt showdown in the Sun Bowl. What has caused the point spread to climb in favor of the Bruins? The college football handicapping team from The GoldSheet shares their thoughts on this Sun Bowl matchup in El Paso.

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Pittsburgh vs UCLA Prediction : Sun Bowl Betting Odds

Friday, December 30	Sun Bowl Betting Notes
Point Spread:	UCLA -7.5 vs Pittsburgh
Total:	o/u 54 Points
Location:	Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas
Game Time:	2:00pm ET / 11:00am PT (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings)
TV:	CBS

UCLA vs Pitt Betting Analysis

It’s probably safe to say that Pat Narduzzi is not a fan of the bowl opt-out trend. Coach Narduzzi was left with third-string QB Davis Beville (now at Oklahoma) to battle Michigan State in last year’s Peach Bowl after Kenny Pickett and a slew of others decided to leave. Now, with 2022 starter Kedon Slovis having also opted out (heading to BYU), back-up quarterback Nick Patti will get the start for the Panthers.

But it’s not just the QB spot that has been impacted by departures. Running back Izzy Abanikanda (1,411 yards rushing and 21 TDs) is among many others who have opted out, also including ACC Defensive MVP DT Calijah Kancey.

For the entire bowl process, Chip Kelly and the Bruins have maintained that they were coming to El Paso with a full squad. The betting market didn’t really believe them, as there were still some questions about if/how much QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and RB Zach Charbonnet will participate.

It seems as though the sharp betting community finally feels safe to trust Chip as the point spread has climbed from -5.5 to -8 at some shops on Thursday afternoon.

Even if DTR is limited in some capacity, back-up QB Ethan Garbers has seen plenty of action during his college career.

Pittsburgh vs UCLA Prediction

Do you trust him? Coach Kelly keeps saying the Bruins have all-hands-on-deck, but every once in a while he leaves a crack or two open. “Our players are excited to get out here and get a good couple of practices in. I expect everybody to practice on Wednesday and we’ll go from there. Everybody is practicing and fully ready” (Courtesy Post-Gazette).

“…and we’ll go from there”? What does that mean, Chip?! Bettors have seemingly heard enough to pull the trigger, as they’ve piled on the point spread and sent it past the key number of -7 on Thursday. Pitt is likely going to be without its entire starting defensive line, which was the strength of its team all season.

If you missed the initial move on the Bruins, you might want to wait for a live-betting opportunity and make sure that UCLA really is suiting everyone up. If the Bruins get on the board early and it’s apparent that Patti can’t lead the Panthers’ offense, there will likely still be enough wiggle room to get involved with UCLA. Coach Kelly has been known to sprinkle an extra score or two on, if given the opportunity. This looks like another difficult bowl slog for the Panthers, who are just 1-5 against the spread in their last six bowl appearances.

Pitt vs UCLA Prediction : The Betting Pick

Wait until the game starts – if UCLA looks to be playing their full complement of players, take UCLA to cover the spread in a live bet.

Sun Bowl Video Preview

WagerTalk’s team of college football handicappers broke down Friday’s Sun Bowl from a variety of handicapping angles. Join us Tuesday through Friday at 3pm ET / 12pm PT for the Happy Hour CFB Kickoff Show as we discuss the marquee college football games on the upcoming slate.

College Football Odds Screen

WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the college football point spreads, totals and betting percentages for all of this month’s college football bowl games, including this UCLA vs Pitt showdown in El Paso, from your desktop or phone.

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