The UCLA football team is back at it on Friday night as they take on the Colorado Buffaloes. The writers of Go Joe Bruin give you their opinions on the game in our weekly predictions.
The UCLA football team is 0-3. The Colorado Buffaloes are 3-0. That may mean something in the non-conference schedule, but as of now, both are 0-0 in Pac-12 play.
RELATED: Know Your Opponent – UCLA vs. Colorado
With both teams entering the salient part of the season, it is time to put up or shut up as the hunt for the South Division begins… but who will come out victorious in this conference contest?
Michael Crawford
Following their embarrassing showing against Fresno State, the Bruins will travel to Colorado and play with a sense of urgency and passion after doing some soul-searching in the bye week. Dorian Thompson-Robinson and the offense step it up, and the defense continues to improve in an overtime win against the Buffalos to open Pac-12 play. UCLA 27, Colorado 20 (OT)
Nathan Eberhardt
The offense gets untracked coming out of the bye week, and progress is visible. A couple of killer turnovers keep UCLA from notching its first win, but the foundation is laid for continued, visible progress through the rest of the season. Colorado 27 – UCLA 21
Michael Hanna
In order to win this game, UCLA is going to need to shut down Colorado’s playmakers while creating favorable situations for its own playmakers. To this point, the Bruins haven’t shown a consistent ability to do either, so it’s hard to foresee them doing so until we have tangible evidence that they can. Because of that, the safest bet in this game is a continuation of the status quo: a combination of bad Bruin offense and special teams giving Colorado incredibly favorable field position that the defense isn’t able to salvage. Colorado 31 – UCLA 17
Jake Merrifield
Coming off the bye week, UCLA looks better and creeps towards average efficiency, but the Doomsday Clock takes another tick: Colorado 28 – UCLA 24
Muna Osisioma
This is Colorado’s game to win. An experienced QB, wideouts with size and a system in place. However, I think UCLA will play better after having an extra week of practice. Chip Kelly had film from the first three games and some time with the team to digest and implement. I don’t think UCLA wins this one but I expect better play from the team. Colorado 24 – UCLA 17
Mike Regalado
UCLA still has a lot to prove on both sides of the ball. The defense has made improvements, but they cannot play as they did against Fresno State. The offense, which has to figure out how to move the ball down the field, should probably send out some new plays and formations to confuse the Colorado defense. Deception might be a key to victory for the Bruins.
One thing UCLA has going for them is the fact that they have played some talented teams who collectively have a 10-1 record. Colorado… not so much as their opponent’s record is 1-11. Still, the Buffs are looking good and should get a tough win against the Bruins. Colorado 28 – UCLA 14