Game Info
UCLA Bruins (7-5 SU, 5-7 ATS) vs. Boise State Broncos (8-5 SU, 7-5-1 ATS)
L.A. Bowl
Date/Time: Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 7:30PM EST
Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
TV: ABC
Betting Odds
Point Spread: UCLA -2/BSU +2 (Bovada – The best sportsbook on the web for about 20 reasons!)
Money Line: University of California Los Angeles -135, Boise St. +115
Over/Under Total: 50
The UCLA Bruins face off with the Boise State Broncos at SoFi Stadium in the L.A. Bowl on Saturday. Boise managed to finish the season well, taking down the Mountain West Conference Championship in their last game on December 2, a rollicking 44-20 win over UNLV. They hope to use that momentum in a demanding spot, taking on a UCLA team playing near home at SoFi Stadium. Things didn’t end so well for the Bruins, however, with their last game a tough 33-7 loss to Cal. Who can get us the cover this week in the City of angels?
The Momentum Angle
It’s a time in the season when we see some teams ascending by year’s end and some teams petering out at the finish line. To cast these teams as being on opposite ends of that spectrum might be going too far. Still, there is a momentum differential entering this game, with UCLA’s win over a fading USC team their only win in their last four. At one point, the Bruins were in decent shape, sitting at 6-2. So maybe their 7-5 mark to end the regular season should serve as a warning that their best football is well in the rearview this season.
On the other sideline, you have a Boise State that started off 4-5 this season, resuscitating their team late in the season to go on a nice run, somehow making it to the conference title game. And in that game, as Boise smashed what had been a good Rebels team, we saw a Broncos team peaking late in the season. What had looked like one of the worst Boise teams to come down the pike in quite some time actually started looking the part late in the season, and that’s trouble for the Bruins, despite their home advantage and the fact they’ve faced far-stiffer tests in the Pac-12. In any event, Boise’s superior form entering into this spot enhances them as a pick.
