Pittsburgh Panthers vs UCLA Bruins Prediction, 12/30/2022 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Panthers vs UCLA Bruins

Date: Friday, December 30, 2022

Location: Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: Bruins (-3.5)

Total/Over-Under: 57.5

The UCLA Bruins (9-3) will compete against the Pittsburgh Panthers (8-4) at Sun Bowl on Friday, December 30, 2022 in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. UCLA opens this game as 3.5-point favorites. The betting total is set at 57.5.

The Pittsburgh Panthers come into this matchup with a record of 8-4 this season. In their last game, the Panthers faced the Miami Hurricanes and went home with a win by a final score of 42-16. Kedon Slovis went 18/28 with 256 yds passing and 3 touchdowns. He had a QB rate of 169.3 and finished the game with 1 interception. Israel Abanikanda was the rushing leader for the Panthers with 15 totes for 111 yards (7.4 yards per attempt). The Pittsburgh Panthers rushed the ball a total of 35 times and accrued 248 yds, earning them an average of 7.1 yards per carry. At the end of the game, they had 63 plays which gave them 504 yds. Pittsburgh allowed 23 pass completions on 39 tries for 279 yards, and a completion rate of 59.0%. When it came to stopping the run, the Panthers conceded 106 yards on 27 attempts, which is 3.9 yds per rush allowed.

The Panthers have tallied 4,830 total yards for this campaign. With reference to getting the ball in the endzone, Pittsburgh has earned 12 touchdowns through the air and 28 rushing touchdowns. They have turned the ball over 19 different times. Pittsburgh has earned 253 1st downs offensively, and they have been called for 90 infractions for 793 yds. Offensively they're holding an average of 181.3 yards on the ground which has them sitting 44th in Division 1. Concerning scoring, the Pittsburgh Panthers are averaging 30.8 PPG.

When it comes to passing yardage, the Panthers have conceded 2,690 yds which puts them in 62nd in the nation. They are giving up 224.2 yards per outing via the pass as well as allowing a completion percentage of 55.0%. Overall, they are giving up 319.7 yards/outing which puts them 17th in D-1. They have allowed 22 touchdowns via the pass and 11 touchdowns via the ground game. They are allowing an average of 3.2 yards per rush and 95.5 rushing yards per game for the season. During this campaign, they have conceded 1,146 yards via the ground game in 12 outings. The Panthers rank 40th in Division 1 when it comes to team defense, allowing 23.4 points per contest.

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The Bruins step onto the field holding a record of 9-3 for this season. The last time they took the gridiron, the Bruins took home the win by a final score of 35-28 when they played the California Golden Bears. Dorian Thompson-Robinson (1 TD) finished the game with 189 yds on 21/30 passing while his QB rating was 133.9. He didn't throw any interceptions and his average yards per pass attempt was 6.3. Zach Charbonnet ran the football 24 times for 119 yds, finishing the game with 5.0 yds per carry for UCLA. The Bruins finished the game with 541 yards while running 94 plays (5.8 yards per play). UCLA ran the ball for 5.5 yards per tote, finishing with 352 yds on 64 carries. UCLA surrendered 18 attempts on the ground for 67 yards (3.7 yards per carry). The Bruins passing defense gave up a completion percentage of 70.6%, relinquishing 294 yards on 24 out of 34 through the air.

Concerning their ability to score points, the Bruins are sitting 10th in college football averaging 39.6 points per game. For the year thus far, the Bruins have earned 3,138 yards via the pass along with an average of 261.5 passing yards per contest, putting them at 39th in Division 1. The UCLA Bruins have an average of 507.8 yards/game, which is good for 4th in D-1. The UCLA offense has accrued 637 penalty yards on 80 infractions, which ranks them 43rd in college football in terms of hurting your team.

The Bruins are surrendering 28.3 PPG, which puts them 85th in the nation. UCLA has allowed the opposition a total of 1,490 rushing yards (124.2 yards per game) in addition to 16 touchdowns via the rush so far this season. Over the course of the season, they have surrendered 340 points. They have given up 24 touchdowns via the pass as well as 275.7 yards/contest, which puts them in 120th in D-1. The Bruins defense has been on the field for 841 plays, which ranks 80th in Division 1.

Who will win tonight's Panthers/Bruins college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Panthers +3.5

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