The UCLA Bruins and Utah Utes will face off in Week 1 of the college football season on Saturday. These teams used to be Pac-12 rivals but play in different conferences now. They will look to get a win at the expense of one another regardless of conference affiliation in this game. Before these teams play in the Rose Bowl on Saturday night, keep reading to get my Utah vs UCLA prediction.
Our Utah vs UCLA Pick
- Pick: Utah -5.5
- Confidence: ★★★★☆
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Utah Utes vs UCLA Bruins
- Date & Time: Saturday, August 30, 2025, 11:00 PM ET
- Venue: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
- Broadcast: FOX
Utah vs UCLA Odds
| Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Utah –5.5 | Utah –215 / UCLA +180 | 50.5 |
Key Storylines
- Both of these teams hit the transfer portal to change things up at the quarterback position going into this year. UCLA made a splash by landing Tennessee transfer Nico Iamaleava and Utah turned to New Mexico transfer Devon Dampier. Both will look to make an immediate impact for their respective teams.
- Pasadena’s heat could play a role in this game. Temperatures may reach the lower 90s during the day. It could be hot even if the temperature drops slightly before the kickoff at night.
- UCLA will enter their second season under head coach Deshaun Foster. The former Carolina Panthers running back led UCLA to a 5-7 season where the Bruins went 3-6 in their first year in the Big Ten. Improvement under Foster and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy will be expected.
Quarterback Play
Utah’s offense will no longer be led by the oft-injured Cameron Rising. It will be Devon Dampier who takes over as the team’s starting quarterback. Dampier was a dual-threat quarterback for two seasons at New Mexico. He threw for 2,768 yards and rushed for 1,166 yards a season ago for the Lobos and will try to be even better in 2025.
Nico Iamaleava will get the starting nod for UCLA going into this contest. Iamaleava had a good season for Tennessee last year but looked bad in their College Football Playoff loss to Ohio State. He faces an elite Utah defense in this game and will try to start his season better than he finished the last one.
Betting Trends & H2H
- UCLA leads the all-time series against Utah 12-9. But Utah has won six of the last seven games between these teams.
- Utah is 15–1 SU in their last 16 Week 1 games and 9–0 SU in August openers.
Utah vs UCLA Model Projection
Score Projection: Utah 28 – UCLA 20
Win Probability: Utah 65%, UCLA 35%
Final Thoughts
Utah should get the job done as a road favorite in Week 1. They have a dynamic quarterback who might be better than Nico Iamaleava, even if Iamaleava will get more headlines before and after this game. The Utes are also superior on defense and I think that laying the points with the Utes is the best way to go in this non-conference matchup.
