College Football Week 3: Will Memphis pull off upset of UCLA? 9/16/17
Will Memphis pull off the upset versus UCLA when the two teams meet at the Liberty Bowl on Saturday?
The Odds: Memphis vs. UCLA, 12:00PM ET, Saturday
According to oddsmakers, the Tigers are currently a 3-point home underdog versus the Bruins. As for the total, the number currently sits at 71.5.
UCLA Betting Trends
The Bruins have failed to cover the spread in just 11 of their last 16 games overall and are 2-6 against the number in their last eight road games. They’re also just 1-6 at the betting window in their last seven non-conference games and are winless at 0-7 against the spread in their last seven games following a straight up win of more than 20 points.
Memphis Betting Trends
The Tigers have struggled to cover at home, dropping four of their last five games at the betting window in Memphis. They’re also 1-7 against the spread in their last eight games when facing a team with a winning record and are 3-8 at the window in their last 11 games overall.
Our Prediction
The Bruins could be playing without multiple starters on defense and also have to deal with a time change. When these two teams kick off at 12:00PM ET, it will be 9:00AM in Los Angeles. That’s a big change for a team playing its first road game of the season.
UCLA has also had issues stopping the run this season, which is problematic against Memphis today. The Bruins have allowed 331.5 rushing yards over its first two games and the Tigers are dominant on the ground.
In betting terms, this feels like a “trap” game. The majority (75% plus) of tickets are on the Bruins, with public bettors gladly only laying a field goal with UCLA. But we’ve seen big upsets before at the Liberty Bowl and I wouldn’t be surprised to see one again today.
College Football Week 3 Prediction: Memphis Tigers +3
