UCLA vs. Colorado College Football Predictions: Week 4
In this story:
The Pac-12 season is officially underway, and the Bruins got a solid draw against one of the weaker opponents in the conference.
UCLA football (3-0) will play Colorado (0-3) at Folsom Field on Saturday. The Bruins have won six games in a row, dating back to the end of last season, while the Buffaloes are the lowest-rated Power Five team in the nation and enter the matchup as 21.5-point underdogs.
All Bruins is making its picks for who will win, what the score will be and how the game will play out, courtesy of Managing Editor Sam Connon and contributing writer Benjamin Royer.
Sam Connon, Managing Editor
Prediction: UCLA 38, Colorado 10
The Buffaloes are bad. Like, bad bad.
Like, probably worse than Bowling Green and definitely worse than South Alabama bad.
It takes a special breed of bad to allow 348 rushing yards per game, which is 99 more than anyone else in the nation. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson is still waiting for his true statistical breakout game this season, and it probably won't come against the Buffaloes.
That isn't because Colorado's pass defense is great, but because coach Chip Kelly won't be able to pass up running the ball 50 times against their porous front seven. Zach Charbonnet would probably be a threat to hit 200 yards if it weren't for his recent health concerns and rest patterns, so expect TJ Harden, Colson Yankoff, Deshun Murrell and Christian Grubb to get in on the fun like they did against Alabama State in Week 2.
On the other side of the ball, the Buffaloes' offense is arguably more anemic than it was a year ago, when they failed to break 20 points in nine of their 11 games versus FBS opponents. Karl Dorrell, the Bruins' former head coach who they canned back in 2007, is supposedly an offensive-leaning coach, and he can't even settle on a quarterback to run his offense in Boulder.
Yes, UCLA has struggled at Colorado as of late. And yes, the Bruins' showing against South Alabama was far from inspiring. But it would take a collapse of biblical proportions for them to choke this one away against Colorado.
UCLA will be 4-0 when Washington comes to the Rose Bowl next Friday, and that will be the true deciding factor in which way this season goes.
Benjamin Royer, contributing writer
Prediction: UCLA 41, Colorado 3
Let’s be clear, Colorado is the worst team in the Power Five this year, if not in all of Division I college football.
Although their in-state rival Colorado State is attempting to match poor results, also sitting at 0-3, the Buffaloes are not going to come close to a victory all season long. Mark down 0-12 for the 2022 record books.
Not one Pac-12 team even comes close to the disaster in Boulder. Karl Dorell is on the hot seat, and three quarterbacks – Brendon Lewis, J.T. Shrout and Owen McCown – are all getting to practice as the first-string quarterback ahead of Saturday. Nothing is solid and there is no set game plan week-to-week.
Colorado will be unable to score a touchdown while its offense is on the field. In fact, the three points from a field goal will be set up by a defensive takeaway made from a UCLA error.
The Bruins do need to improve, but the Pac-12 opener provides no competition to truly see how UCLA matches up with the rest of its opponents on the West Coast.
Sept. 30 against Washington is the real first test for coach Chip Kelly and company, not a road trip to face a historically poor opponent.
Follow Connon on Twitter at @SamConnon
Follow Royer on Twitter at @thebenroyer
Follow All Bruins on Twitter at @FN_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook at @FN.AllBruins
Subscribe to All Bruins on YouTube
Read more UCLA stories: UCLA Bruins on Sports Illustrated
Read more UCLA football stories: UCLA Football on Sports Illustrated
