Colorado vs. UCLA spread, odds, line, game props: Top expert picks, prediction, best bets for Deion Sanders

Head coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes (4-3, 1-3 Pac-12) look to get their season back on track when they travel to Pasadena, Calif. to take on the No. 22 UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl on Saturday. The Buffs are coming off a bye, but lost 46-43 in double overtime to Stanford in their last outing. CU led that game 29-0 at halftime, and wasted another outstanding performance from quarterback Shedeur Sanders. UCLA is looking to build off its blowout 42-7 win over Stanford last week, and can clinch bowl eligibility with a win on Saturday. UCLA leads the all-time series 13-5 and owns a 9-2 record against the Buffs in Pac-12 matchups. Travis Hunter (liver) is set to return to full time action without limitations for Colorado. 

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday. The Bruins are 15-point favorites in the latest SportsLine consensus UCLA vs. Colorado odds, while the over/under is 61 points. Before making any Colorado vs. UCLA picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine football expert Jimmie Kaylor. 

Kaylor is a NFL, college football, and DFS expert for SportsLine, who has covered the NFL and college football for close to a decade as a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. His background as a former college football All-American and NFL player gives him a unique perspective when building his fantasy lineups and locking in his betting picks. As a Colorado native, he has his finger on the pulse of the local and national sports scene and has been cashing big on Denver area teams for the last two years. 

Kaylor has been red-hot on his Colorado picks this season, going 15-6 on his best bets in the Buffs' first seven games, including a 5-1 mark in the CU vs. USC game. He's also 33-12-2 on all of his CFB best bets this season so far. Anyone who has followed his picks is way up.

Now, he has set his sights on Colorado vs. UCLA and just locked in its picks and CFB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see Kaylor's picks. Here are several college football odds and betting lines for UCLA vs. Colorado:

• Colorado vs. UCLA spread: UCLA -15
• Colorado vs. UCLA over/under: 61 points
• Colorado vs. UCLA money line: Colorado +493, UCLA -724
  
• CU: WR Xavier Weaver has 50 catches for 631 yards and 4 TDs.
• UCLA: LB Laiatu Latu has 6.5 sacks.
• Colorado vs. UCLA picks: See picks at SportsLine
  
• Colorado vs. UCLA live stream: fubo (try for free)

Why Colorado can cover

Colorado is coming off a bye week, which not only gave them extra time to prepare, but also allowed them to recover and get healthy. Cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter is now fully cleared to play on both sides of the ball without any limitations. Conditioning appeared to be a factor for Hunter in CU's loss to Stanford, but the dynamic two-star did have the best offensive game of his college career catching 13 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.

Colorado also has an advantage at quarterback in the matchup, with Shedeur Sanders ranking as one of the top offensive players in college football. Sanders is the most-sacked quarterback in the country, but he has shown elite pocket awareness and toughness throughout the season. He enters this matchup with 2,420 passing yards, 21 touchdown passes and three interceptions. He has also scored three rushing touchdowns. See which team to pick at SportsLine. 

Why UCLA can cover

UCLA has a significant talent and depth advantage in this matchup. Defensively, the Bruins are one of the best teams in college football, and will be facing a Colorado offensive line that has struggled mightily in 2023. UCLA ranks 10th in the country with 24 total sacks entering this matchup, and CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been sacked 34 times already. Moreover, the Bruins rank second in college football, allowing only 68.6 rushing yards per game.

Offensively, Chip Kelly's team is balanced and explosive. The Bruins enter this matchup averaging 464.4 total yards per game, with a whopping 215.6 yards per game on the ground. Colorado has had issues up front defensively stopping the run, which could bode well for the Bruins on Saturday. UCLA is expected to use multiple quarterbacks on Saturday, with Dante Moore, Ethan Garbers and Collin Schlee all expected to see some time. See which team to back at SportsLine. 

How to make UCLA vs. Colorado picks

Kaylor has analyzed this matchup from every angle and he's going Under on the point total. He has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine.