UCLA vs. Boise State Odds, Picks, Opt-Out Tracker for the LA Bowl
UCLA vs. Boise State Odds, Picks, Opt-Out Tracker for the LA Bowl
UCLA vs. Boise State Start Time and Where to Watch - LA Bowl
- Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023
- Start Time: 7:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: ABC
UCLA vs. Boise State Odds
- Spread: UCLA -6.5 (-110), Boise State +6.5 (-110)
- Total Points: Over 48.5 (-110), Under 48.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: UCLA (-250), Boise State (+210)
UCLA vs. Boise State Preview
The UCLA Bruins will battle the Boise State Broncos in this year's LA Bowl from SoFi Stadium.
The Bruins are playing in their own backyard, which could provide a nice home field advantage for their Los Angeles fans. Their stadium may not have been packed in this tumultuous year, but it is certainly much closer than Boise, Idaho.
The Bruins will be led by Ethan Garbers at quarterback, after switching hands with Dante Moore throughout the season, who has since entered the transfer portal. They will also lean on their rushing duo of Carson Steele and TJ Harden out of the backfield, who combined for over 1,500 yards on the year and six touchdowns apiece.
The determining factor in this one will once again be quarterback play. Nearly half the teams in this opening day of bowl games are playing without their starting QB, and these teams are no exception. On the UCLA side, Ethan Garbers took over starting duties partway through the season, but still ended up swapping back and forth with Dante Moore. However for Boise, CJ Tiller will be playing in his first ever action as a freshman, with former starter Taylen Green entering the portal and choosing Arkansas already.
Will Tiller be able to command this Boise State offense and receive enough support from his teammates against a top ranked defense? Or will the Bruins overwhelm the youngster and force him into errant throws and turnovers en route to a dominating victory in Los Angeles? Let's take a look at the latest odds for UCLA vs. Boise State in the LA Bowl.
UCLA vs. Boise State Odds - LA Bowl
Click here for UCLA vs. Boise State odds
The Bruins opened up as just -2.5 favorites, before consistently steaming the line up to nearly a touchdown throughout the week. It stopped briefly at -4.5 on Wednesday and Thursday before motoring on to -6.5 by Saturday morning where it currently rests.
As previously mentioned, bettors are realizing the magnitude of the loss for Boise State, who will play without their starting quarterback. Taylen Green led them on a four game win streak including a beatdown of the UNLV Rebels in the Mountain West Conference Championship. But after he bowed out to Arkansas in the portal, this line rapidly shifted heavily to UCLA.
Boise State still has their strong rushing attack of Ashton Jeanty and George Holani, but it will be much more difficult to rush on this already stacked UCLA defense when they know its coming. The Bruins have the third-ranked rush defense in the country, allowing just 67 yards per game on the ground. They will be happy to stack the box without worry and stop Jeanty in his tracks, forcing the true freshman Tiller to beat them over the top.
UCLA vs. Boise State Prediction
This line has moved like a rocket all week, as bettors slowly realized the daunting task facing CJ Tiller in his first action as Boise's quarterback. We grabbed this line on the way up at -4.5, but it has continued to move all the way to -6.5 ahead of kickoff. It remains to be seen if all of these numbers will cover in the end, but Boise will certainly have trouble scoring in this one either way. The Bruins staunch defense should be able to force mistakes and turnovers by the youngster, and Ethan Garbers will do enough on offense to propel the Bruins to a touchdown victory in their own backyard.
- Pick: UCLA -4.5 (-110) (Bet $110 to collect $100) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
UCLA vs. Boise State Opt-Out Tracker
UCLA Opt-Outs
- Laiatu Latu, EDGE (NFL Draft)
- Kamari Ramsey, DB (transfer portal)
- William Nimmo, S (transfer portal)
- Jake Wiley, iOL (transfer portal)
- Dante Moore, QB (transfer portal)
- Carsen Ryan, TE (transfer portal)
- Keegan Jones, WR (transfer portal)
- Kam Brown, WR (transfer portal)
- John Humphrey, CB (transfer portal)
Boise State Opt-Outs
- Kivon Wright, EDGE (transfer portal)
- Taylen Green, QB (transfer portal)
- Keenan McCaddy, S (transfer portal)
- Eric McAlister, WR (transfer portal)
College Football Odds
Peter is a sports writer focused on coverage and analysis of college football and basketball, as well as the NFL and other major sports. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, he has been writing sports articles for over 8 years.
After working for ClutchPoints, Peter joined OddsChecker in 2023. He is a New York sports superfan and is fluent in the sports betting industry.