The Golden Bears and Bruins lock horns in the ultimate clash of the 2021 college football regular season, so we bring you the best California vs. UCLA betting pick along with the latest odds for this Pac-12 Conference showdown at Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Last year, the Bruins trounced the Golden Bears 34-10 as 3.5-point home underdogs. This time around, the Bruins are listed as 6.5-point home favorites on MyBookie Sportsbook, while the Golden Bears are +215 moneyline dogs with a total of 57.5 points.

California smashed Stanford to get back on the winning path  

The California Golden Bears (4-6; 6-4 ATS) are coming off an impressive 41-11 road victory at Stanford this past Saturday. After a disappointing 10-3 defeat at Arizona, the Golden Bears bounced back and smashed the Cardinal as small 2.5-point favorites. 

California gained a whopping 636 all-purpose yards last weekend. The Golden Bears ran 34 times for 352 yards, while senior signal-caller Chase Garbers went 18-of-27 for 250 yards, a couple of touchdowns, and an interception.

Garbers now has 2,229 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six picks on his season tally. Over his last four outings, Chase has tossed for nine touchdowns and just one interception. The Golden Bears are scoring 24.7 points per game (96th in the country) while surrendering 21.1 in a return (tied-28th).

UCLA shoots for its third straight W

The UCLA Bruins (7-4; 7-4 ATS) have been firing on all cylinders over the last two weeks, smashing Colorado 44-20 at home and USC 62-33 on the road in the process. After overcoming a 10-point halftime deficit against the Buffaloes, the Bruins humiliated the Trojans as 4.5-point road underdogs.

UCLA racked up 609 total yards at USC. The Bruins had 44 totes for 260 yards, and junior RB Zach Charbonnet led the way with 28 carries for 164 yards and a TD. Senior QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson went 16-of-22 for 349 yards, four touchdowns, and a couple of interceptions, while junior RB/WR Kazmeir Allen had three receptions for 115 yards and a pair of scores.

Both Charbonnet and Thompson-Robinson have done a superb job for the Bruins this term. Charbonnet has accounted for 1,031 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, while Thompson-Robinson has thrown for 2,245 yards, 18 touchdowns, and six interceptions while posting the 11th-best quarterback rating in the country (78.9).

Trends:

California:

  • N/A

UCLA:

  • 4-2 ATS in the last six games as favorites 

California vs. UCLA Pick

California leans on its solid defense, but slowing down the Bruins will be a difficult task. The Golden bears surrender 125.4 rushing yards per game and 3.8 per carry, while the Bruins tally 214.0 rushing yards per contest and 5.1 per carry.

While the Bruins are far away from the elite defense, the Golden Bears are pretty much a hit-or-miss on the offensive end. We should see an interesting regular-season finale, and with 6.5 points on the table, I lean the hosts because of their prolific offense that should make the difference.

Pick: Take UCLA -6.5 at -110              

The Total:

Interestingly, the total has gone under in eight straight meetings between California and UCLA. None of their last five encounters has produced more than 57 points in total, but I’m still going against these trends.

Both California and UCLA should move the ball easily against each other, especially on the ground. The Bruins’ last four games have flown over the total, producing 64 or more points each. The total has gone over in their previous five home contests, too.

Pick: Go over 57.5 points at -110