Minnesota vs UCLA Prediction College Football Picks 10/12/24

The Minnesota Golden Gophers and the UCLA Bruins meet in week 7 college football action from the Rose Bowl on Saturday night. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Minnesota vs. UCLA prediction.

Minnesota Recap

The Minnesota Golden Gophers come into this game looking to build on a 24-17 win over USC last time out to climb to 3-3 on the year. After this game, Minnesota will have a bye week before heading home for a matchup with Maryland.

Gophers Trying To Find Consistency

Max Brosmer has thrown for 1,263 yards, 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions on 67.6% passing while Darius Taylor has a team-high 402 rushing yards with 5 touchdowns and Marcus Major has 205 rushing yards with 2 TDs as well. Daniel Jackson has a team-high 32 receptions for 362 receiving yards while Elijah Spencer and the aforementioned Taylor each have 200+ receiving yards. On defense, Cody Lindenberg has a team-high 42 total tackles while Jah Joyner has a team-high 2.5 sacks. Kerry Brown, Koi Perich, and Ethan Robinson each have a pair of interceptions. As a unit, Minnesota’s defense has combined for 10 sacks and 10 interceptions.

Why the Minnesota Golden Gophers will win

• UCLA has lost each of its last four games.
• The favorite has won each of UCLA’s last six games.
• UCLA has failed to cover the spread in each of its last four home games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Minnesota has covered the spread in six of its last seven October games against non-AP-ranked teams.

UCLA Recap

The UCLA Bruins come into this one looking to snap a four-game losing streak after ending up with a 27-11 loss to Penn State last time out to drop to 1-4 on the year. After this game, UCLA will head on the road for a game against Rutgers.

Bruins Trying To Find Positives Amidst Lost Year

Ethan Garbers has thrown for 808 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions on 57.3% passing while T.J. Harden has rushed for a team-high 151 rushing yards. Rico Flores Jr. has a team-high 187 yards and a touchdown to lead UCLA’s receiving group this season. Harden also has a team-high 18 grabs for 147 yards while Moliki Matavao and Logan Loya each have 100+ receiving yards as well on the year. On defense, Carson Schwesinger has a team-high 49 total tackles. As a unit, UCLA has combined for 6 sacks and 3 interceptions so far this season.

Why the UCLA Bruins will win

• UCLA has won three of its last four October games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Minnesota has lost three of its last four games as a road favorite.
• Minnesota has failed to cover the spread in each of its last four games as a road favorite.
• UCLA has covered the spread in six of its last seven October games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.

Minnesota vs. UCLA Prediction

I’m on the Gophers here. I simply think this is a spot where if you wanted to take UCLA for whatever reason that I can’t think of, we’re not getting nearly enough points. Minnesota may not be on the level of Oregon, Penn State, Indiana, or LSU, but this Gophers defense is still solid and they have competent QB play. The Bruins have had nothing really go right this season and getting to fade them, even at home, with less than a touchdown being laid, sounds good to me. Give me the Gophers.