With college football season on the horizon, ESPN Chalk's college football experts -- Phil Steele, "Stanford Steve" Coughlin and Chris Fallica -- combine to give you betting previews of the top 25 teams, according to the ESPN College Football Rankings. They break down each team's strengths and weaknesses, along with season win total bets and national title odds.
Odds from Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as of Sept. 1.
UCLA Bruins
National title odds: 30-1
Season win total: 9
Phil Steele
Strengths: UCLA not only has 18 returning starters, but has 51 lettermen back, and just 16 lost.
Weaknesses: I don't feel the unit will be a weakness, but QB is the only position not in my top units, and the starter is likely to be a true frosh. Josh Rosen is not an ordinary true frosh, though. He looks like he could be the first player that will be taken in the 2018 draft, and he was in for the spring. They do have road games at Stanford, Utah (chilly in November) and USC.
Over/under: I have them favored in nine games and an underdog in three, and only one game has a spread of less than four. That means I expect nine wins, so no play is my call here.
National title: UCLA has a clear shot at winning the Pac-12 South especially with its command over in city rival USC. The Bruins can afford to lose one game and still win the South and would be favored in the Pac 12 title game. I would have had the odds closer to 20-1, so there is good value here.
"Stanford Steve" Coughlin
When it comes to the Bruins, I'm happy I don't have to hear about how great a player their quarterback, Brett Hundley, was for the last couple of years. Maybe it was because I saw all four of his games versus Stanford the last three seasons, but I didn't think he lived up to the hype. Enter freshman phenom Josh Rosen, who I honestly think will be the Bruins' starter under center for the next three seasons from Game 1.
I know Jerry Neuheisel won an important game for the Bruins last year versus Texas, but I don't think he can take Jim Mora's team to the next level. Speaking of Mora, he made one of the best coaching moves in the offseason when he brought in defensive coordinator Tom Bradley. I love Bradley, and he now faces the challenge of fixing a defense that gave up 30 points in seven of its last nine games last season. I know Bruins fans love that they have beaten USC three straight years, but they have also played in bowls like the Alamo, Sun and Holiday, which makes you think the team could be better.
I think this is a big year for the team from Westwood. I do think they are worth throwing a couple of bucks on to make the College Football Playoff at 30-1, but playing in the best division in college football, might be too tough with a true freshman QB.
Chris Fallica
The Bruins have beaten USC each of the last three years by double digits, but seemingly every pundit has the Trojans rated higher. With nearly every starter back, I expect UCLA to improve on defense after ranking 41st nationally in defensive efficiency last season. I think the Bruins will take a 5-0 record to Stanford, and that's where the fork in the road will be for them this season. Stanford has beaten UCLA seven straight times and held the Bruins to 13.7 PPG (and just 10 points in each of the last two meetings).
O/U: I love UCLA this year. Yes, the Pac-12 South is no bargain -- and the Bruins have only four conference home games -- but I think UCLA is the most talented team in the entire conference. Despite winning nine regular-season games last year, the Bruins were almost seen by many as a disappointment.
Title odds: I think this is great value, and you typically don't get that with a high-profile LA team. It's probably due in part to Josh Rosen being a freshman starter, but don't be afraid of that. Ten of the last 16 QBs to start in the title game were in their first year as a starter, including Cardale Jones, who led Ohio State to the title last year despite the fact he didn't start until the Big Ten title game. Last year people expected UCLA to make the title push, but this is the year Jim Mora's team will emerge. Huge threat to win it all.