College Football Action with UCLA Bruins vs. BYU Cougars

The UCLA Bruins appear headed for good times after taking down the Tennessee Volunteers about a week ago in the Rose Bowl. UCLA looked fantastic on defense. Their freshman quarterback, Kevin Craft, shook off a terrible first half to settle down and put the Bruins into position to win. Yet, it took Tennessee to miss a field goal in overtime for the Bruins to secure the victory.

UCLA faces a much tougher task this weekend when they travel to Provo, Utah to take on the mighty BYU Cougars. Did I say mighty? Why, yes, I did.

The Cougars have won 18 games in a row. That’s the longest winning streak in college football. For college football betting fans, the Cougars have been a dynamite online wager for a very long time.

Of course, the Cougars’ streak was in jeopardy this past Saturday when they needed a ridiculous call from the referees to help them secure a victory. The refs threw the flag on the Washington Huskies, after the Huskies had gotten a last second touchdown, for “excessive celebrating”. That pushed the Huskies back for their extra point try that would have tied the score but, wouldn’t you know it, the damn kicker missed the extra point.

So, the Cougars ended up winning the game. Things could be tougher for the Cougars this Saturday with UCLA coming into town. Then again, the magic that Kevin Craft displayed in the second half of the Bruins’ victory over the Volunteers might not be there in Provo.

Here are the BetUS online betting odds for this game.

Kick-off: 9/13/2008 3:30 pm est.

UCLA Bruins + 8 - 110

BYU Cougars - 8 - 110

Here are a few online wagering trends that might help us find a good online bet in this game:

The UCLA Bruins are 10 and 2 against the spread in their last 12 games versus a team from the MWC.

The UCLA Bruins are 7 and 3 against the spread in their last 10 games on the road.

The BYU Cougars are 0 and 4 against the spread in their last 4 non-conference games.

The BYU Cougars are 8-3-1 against the spread in their last 12 games at home.

I’m surprised at how high the BetUS online sportsbook against the spread betting line is. I mean, the UCLA Bruins just beat the Tennessee Volunteers less than two weeks ago. Are they really 8 point underdogs at BYU? Yes, the Cougars have the longest winning streak in college football, but UCLA showed grit and determination on defense.

Also, if Kevin Carter continues his hot streak, the Bruins have a chance of winning this game straight-up, right?

The X-factor to me is coach Rick Neuheisal. He’s had two weeks to prepare for this game. That has to count for something when deciding on which online bet to make.

I just don’t see the Bruins falling off too much after their victory against the Volunteers. They’ve had a week to get those good feelings out of their system. Neuheisal should get his fellas feeling like they have something to prove again. If he does, then BYU could lose this game outright.

In any case, I have to take the UCLA Bruins and the points in this game. That’s the online bet that I will be making - - on UCLA to beat the 8 point spread.