The current top offensive guru of college football will meet a former top offensive guru of college football Saturday when Lincoln Riley and No. 5 Oklahoma hit the road to face the Chip Kelly-coached UCLA Bruins. The Sooners will have plenty of confidence when they come to town sporting a 2-0 record with decisive wins over Houston and South Dakota, while the Bruins limp into the Rose Bowl at 0-2 after losing to San Diego State for the first time in program history.
It's safe to say the Chip Kelly era in Westwood isn't exactly off to a rollicking start. Kelly is now 3-11 overall with UCLA since he took over the program last season and 0-4 against Group of Five opponents -- a far cry from his heyday at Oregon in which he was credited for his innovation offensively and ability to do more with less.
Keep on reading for a prediction and game analysis for Oklahoma-UCLA. Click here for additional against-the-spread pick breakdowns of the top games in Week 3.
Storylines
Oklahoma: Is there a coach in college football on a better hot streak than Riley? The list is short. He's coached consecutive Heisman winners and has turned Alabama afterthought Jalen Hurts into an early season contender to force a bronze statue three-peat. OU's won each of its first two games this season by a combined 74 points and is expected to roll here.
UCLA: The Bruins have managed to score just 14 points per game in consecutive losses to start the season, but if any defense is suspect enough to offer up some confidence, it's OU. The Sooners ranked near the bottom in total defense last season, and while they've got a new defensive coordinator in Alex Grinch, it's clear there's still plenty of room for improvement.
Viewing information
Date: Saturday, Sept. 14 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Rose Bowl -- Pasadena, California
TV: Fox | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Game prediction, picks
Last season's tilt between UCLA and OU resulted in a 49-21 victory lap for the Sooners. This year could be much more lopsided; UCLA appears to be worse and OU appears to at least be as good despite swapping Heisman-winning quarterback Kyler Murray for Jalen Hurts. I like OU even with the sizable spread. Pick: Oklahoma (-21.5)
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