Ten days before Halloween, the UCLA Bruins are absolutely crushing it, sitting at a perfect 6-0 straight up and, even more remarkably, 6-0 against the spread. This team, once thought to be a fringe bowl contender by most Las Vegas sportsbooks with an O/U 5.5 regular-season win total, has turned into arguably the best betting story of the entire season. They haven’t just cashed almost every Over ticket, they’ve covered every single game to date, making a mockery of early market predictions.
Bruins Are Balling, But What Does it Mean?
This incredible run is all happening under a first-year head coach, Bob Chesney, and it’s leaving the pros scratching their heads. Former Vegas bookmaker Ed Salmons called it “remarkable for a first-year head coach.” What’s the secret sauce? “They run the ball well and don’t make mistakes,” Salmons noted. But let’s be real, the schedule’s been a bit soft. “You look at UCLA’s schedule, though, the only good win is at Oregon. And I don’t even know what Oregon is at this point. I watched them the other day against Nebraska and they were horrendous,” Salmons admitted. Still, you can only play who’s in front of you, right? Professional bettor Slice is clearly impressed, saying, “I’ve moved UCLA up a touchdown from the summer.” Even with some uncertainty around a Nico Iamaleava injury, Slice believes there’s “probably not that big of a drop-off there” and states emphatically, “They are an extremely well-coached football team.”
Ohio State’s QB Nightmare and Playoff Slide
While UCLA is soaring, chaos is hitting some of the nation’s traditional powerhouses. Ohio State, despite covering a very hostile game at Indiana last weekend, took a massive hit with quarterback Julian Sayin out indefinitely due to an arm injury. This is a huge problem. Sayin was a Heisman finalist, and now they’re rolling with true freshman Luke Fahey. “I dropped Ohio State eight points, but I’ll revisit it when they play their next game,” Salmons told us. He usually takes “seven right off the top” for these top-tier quarterback injuries, especially when the backup is a freshman who “wasn’t ready for Indiana.” The result? Ohio State went from Salmons’ No. 1 team straight down to No. 8 or so without Sayin. Their College Football Playoff odds took a hit too, moving from +600 to +450 to miss the playoffs at a couple sportsbooks. The good news? Their schedule isn’t brutal, and their roster is still loaded. Even without Sayin, they could still beat Oregon, Northwestern, and Michigan at home. If they can split with USC and Nebraska on the road, they might still sneak into the Playoff.
Texas Crumbles, Big Ten vs. SEC Depth Debated
And then there’s Texas. Man, oh man. Two weeks ago, they lost against unranked Oklahoma, then followed it up by losing to unranked Florida. This is wild: it’s the first time since 1961 that an AP No. 1 team lost two games in a row against unranked opponents. That’s not just a rough patch, that’s the definition of underachieving. Ed Salmons weighed in on the broader conference landscape, contrasting the Big Ten and SEC. He argued, “You can make a case that the Big Ten is better up top, but once you go down the ladder, the Big Ten is trash from the middle to the bottom.” The SEC, on the other hand? “Outside of Arkansas and Vanderbilt, anybody can beat anybody any week in the SEC. It’s so deep.” Deep, sure, but as Texas just showed, even a “deep” conference has flawed teams that can trip up even the best. It’s a wild season, folks, and every single weekend throws a wrench into someone’s plans. We’ll be watching to see how these teams adapt, especially Ohio State as they move forward without their star QB.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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