UCLA Faces Nebraska in Saturday’s Foster Farms Bowl

The Pac-12 will be represented on Saturday in the Foster Farms Bowl. The bowl season rolls on in college football, as the UCLA Bruins battle the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Foster Farms Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

The current line has UCLA favored by 6.5 points with the over/under point total at 61. On the season, UCLA was 8-4 straight up and 5-6 ATS, while Nebraska was 5-7 SU and 6-6 ATS.

A bid by UCLA to reach the Rose Bowl came up short late in the season, while Nebraska appeared not to qualify for a postseason bowl. The Bruins ended the season one game behind USC in the South Division of the Pac-12 and therefore missed out in playing the conference championship.

Nebraska is one of just three teams with five wins that benefitted from a decision by the NCAA to use the Academic Progress Rate as a measuring stick for tiebreaking to help reach the 80 teams necessary for 40 bowl games.

Even with a win, Nebraska will end the season under .500 for only the third time in 53 years. Nebraska’s seven losses this season were by a combined 31 points under Mike Riley its first year coach.

Nebraska is only the second program in FBS since 2006 to lose four games on the last play of a game in either regulation or overtime.

The season started looking better late, highlighted by the Cornhuskers comeback win of 39-38 over Michigan State the eventual champion of the Big Ten on November 7.

UCLA is 11-0 in its past 11 games against non Pac-12 opponents. That run includes a win at home against Nebraska back in 2013.

Josh Rosen the freshman quarterback for UCLA helped carry the UCLA offense all season. Paul Perkins led the Bruins in rushing with 1,275 yards. On defense, Kenny Clark anchored the defensive line at tackle.

Tommy Armstrong Jr. is the signal caller at Nebraska, which had the Big Ten’s No. 2 ranked offense. Jordan Westerkamp caught 63 passes on the season. Cathan Carter came on late in the season at tight end as one of Armstrong’s favorite targets.

Prediction: The game might come down to a battle in the trenches between the run defense of Nebraska and the running game of UCLA and Paul Perkins. If Nebraska slows down UCLA, the Cornhuskers chance to win increases greatly. Lean toward Nebraska to cover.