UCLA at Arizona State betting odds breakdown

The Arizona State Sun Devils are just 3-8 against the spread in their last 11 games against the UCLA Bruins. Arizona State, though, has won and covered the spread in two of its last three home games against the Bruins, and will host UCLA again this Thursday night.

With a healthy Taylor Kelly, Arizona State would be a much more dangerous matchup for UCLA this week. But with the star quarterback out, UCLA is a 5.5-point road favorite at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com and the Bruins should find a way to win and cover.

UCLA has had an odd start to the season, winning all three of its first three games but going 0-3 ATS over that stretch, with three wins by eight points or less. The Bruins showed some resiliency in their 20-17 road win over Texas by winning the game despite losing quarterback Brett Hundley to an elbow injury in the first quarter. Hundley has suited up for practice this week, but no official word has been made on his gameday status.

Arizona State looked to be well on its way to a win and cover on the road against the Colorado Buffaloes last Saturday with a 38-17 lead early in the third quarter. But the Sun Devils’ offense stalled when quarterback Taylor Kelly left the game with a foot injury, and Arizona State held on for a 38-24 win to improve to 3-0 SU but fall to 1-2 ATS on the season. Kelly is the most important piece of Todd Graham’s offense, and he won’t be easily replaced.

On paper before the season began, Arizona State hosting UCLA this early in the season looked like a great matchup between two of the conference’s best quarterbacks. With the exception of an odd game against Memphis, UCLA’s defense has played well this season, and should be able to handle a back-up quarterback.

Arizona State’s defense is expected to be a weakness for the team this year, and will likely leave the team vulnerable to a loss to UCLA at -5.5.