Hawaii vs UCLA Odds, Spread and Best Bet – August 28th

• UCLA (0-0) hosts Hawaii (0-0) on Saturday at 3:30 PM Eastern on ESPN
• The Bruins were ranked top 20 in offense last year and will have 4th year starter Dorian Thompson-Robinson at quarterback
• Hawaii finished last season with a winning record and returns all 11 defensive starters

UCLA head coach Chip Kelly enters his fourth season with the Bruins on the hot seat in desperate need of a strong start. His team hosts the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors as double-digit favorites at the Rose Bowl.

After opening at 17 points and hovering around 17.5 points the last few weeks, the spread has now moved to a full 18 points in favor of the Bruins.

Hawaii vs UCLA Odds

Odds as of August 27th

UCLA QB Thompson-Robinson Looking to Build on Strong Season

Dorian Thompson-Robinson is set for his fourth year under center (or more accurately in the shotgun) for the Bruins. Last year he set career-highs with a 65.2% completion percentage and 8.1 yards per attempt. He led a UCLA offense that finished the year ranked inside the top 20, scoring 35.4 points per game.

The Bruins were also strong rushing the ball but have two running backs battling for the bulk of carries in Brittain Brown and Michigan transfer Zach Charbonnet. Whichever back takes the job will attempt to match the production of last season when UCLA ranked 12th in rushing with 230.6 yards per game.

Chip Kelly was paid a $1 million retention bonus in February, bringing his total compensation since taking over to $12.1 million. That works out to $1.21 million per win at UCLA entering this season.

— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) August 21, 2021

The biggest question for UCLA is how did they end up below .500 with all of these gaudy offensive numbers? Kelly isn’t on the hot seat because of his abilities as an offensive coach, it’s his inability to turn those points into wins. Holding a 10-21 record with the Bruins, he’ll certainly be feeling the pressure in this game if Hawaii can keep it close into the second half.

Hawaii Relying on Defensive Returnees This Season

Hawaii is coming off a 5-4 season under head coach Todd Graham and is hoping to build on that positive momentum. They return all 11 starters on the defensive side of the ball which should help, especially early in the season as opponents get settled in to their systems. The best of those defensive players is cornerback Cortez Davis – who you’ll be hearing about for years to come on Sunday’s in the NFL. His elite cover skills will come in handy against the UCLA offense that loves to chuck the football.

We have plans for Saturday, wbu bruh? #HawaiiFB #WinEvery pic.twitter.com/gUnyBvMEOp

— Hawaii Football (@HawaiiFootball) August 25, 2021

On the offensive side of the ball the Rainbow Warriors will go as far as quarterback Chevan Cordeiro will take them. He’s a true dual threat that has a good arm and also led Hawaii in rushing with 483 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Cordeiro will lean on wide receiver Jared Smart and all-around athlete Calvin Turner to help move the chains but ultimately a large portion of the pressure will be on the Honolulu native behind center.

Trust Hawaii to Cover the Number

There is a path to success for UCLA this year but it’s much easier to bet on things seen than things projected. We’ve seen Kelly lose almost 68% of his games as the Bruins coach and we’ve seen UCLA go winless in their last six non-conference games. Need more convincing? UCLA has covered in only three of their last 10 home games, while Hawaii has won three straight road openers.

While there’s no need to try and hit a grand slam taking Hawaii on the moneyline, this game does project to be a lot closer than the 18 point spread that’s currently on the table. The advice would be to take the underdogs and take them before there is any line movement.

• The Pick: Hawaii +18 (-115)