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UCLA Football: Early odds have the Bruins winning big over Cincinnati

By Mike Regalado

PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: UCLA Bruins cheerleaders entertain the crowd during the game against the Hawaii Warriors at the Rose Bowl on September 9, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: UCLA Bruins cheerleaders entertain the crowd during the game against the Hawaii Warriors at the Rose Bowl on September 9, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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Early odds for the UCLA football team’s chances of winning their first game of the Chip Kelly era over Cincinnati are in and they are pretty good.

We are within 100 days to kickoff and for UCLA football fans, the wait is excruciating (is it September yet?). The Bruins get to start anew with Chip Kelly this fall, one of the most proven college coaches in recent memory, after a few seasons of mediocrity under Jim Mora.

RELATED: UCLA Football Early 2018 Schedule Preview – Cincinnati Bearcats

Though success is eventually expected, it is not required in his first year, but fans are hopeful that the new coach can get things going sooner than later, but it will indeed take time. Whether it is roster needs, development or their brutal schedule, 2018 is going to be a tough year for Kelly.

ESPN predicts 5.0 wins next season while SB Nation has the Bruins winning 5.6. Though that is not encouraging, the one thing both have in common is that UCLA should be able to destroy Cincinnati in the season opener.

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Oddshark has the early line on the Bruins-Bearcats game which gives UCLA the favorable -16.5 odds of winning. The online betting site also has the predicted score as UCLA 30.8 – Cincinnati 22.8.

Though these are early projections, they tell a lot about what is expected from UCLA. First off, with this possibly being the easiest game on UCLA’s schedule, they will score below their average of 32.5 points per game last year. And even though the Bruins allowed 36.6 ppg in 2017, they should slow down Cincy, though allow the Bearcats to score more than they did last season (20.9 ppg).

This differs from what we here at GJB expect. Though the offense will take time to get up to speed (they should eventually be very effective), we do expect the defense to be a lot more dominating.

In our recent preview of the Cincinnati game, we have the Bruins winning 45-13 (please remember, we are not an official betting site, our predictions are purely opinion). This is simply based on the progression we have seen in the spring and the comparisons to Cincinnati’s squad.

Next: UCLA Football: 10 bold predictions for the 2018 season

Still, who knows what will happen with UCLA next year. I think it is widely understood by Bruins fans that this team can finish anywhere between a 5-7 and an 8-4 finish and none of it will surprise us.