UCLA vs. California College Football Predictions: Week 13

The All Bruins staff made their picks for how Friday's game against the Golden Bears is going to go down.

The fifth regular season of the Chip Kelly era is coming to a close.

No. 18 UCLA football (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12) will play Cal (4-7, 3-5 Pac-12) at California Memorial Stadium on Friday. The Bruins enter the game as 10-point favorites coming off back-to-back last-minute losses to Arizona and USC, while the Golden Bears are fresh off a rivalry win over Stanford.

All Bruins is making its picks for who will win, what the score will be and how the game will play out, courtesy of Managing Editor Sam Connon and contributing writer Benjamin Royer.

Sam Connon, Managing Editor

Prediction: UCLA 38, Cal 24

As enticing as it might be to pick the Golden Bears in this one, I don’t think the Bruins will choke this one away.

UCLA has done very well against bad teams these past few years under coach Chip Kelly – save for the Arizona game – and Cal is a genuinely bad team. And even during this current two-game skid, the Bruins have only been upended by high-powered offenses.

The Golden Bears do not have one of those, and Jack Plummer is far from Caleb Williams or even Jayden de Laura. Even as the Bruins’ defense has deteriorated over the past month without defensive coordinator Bill McGovern, it shouldn’t give up much to a Cal offense scoring just 23.5 points per game.

Plummer has one of the lower passer ratings in the Pac-12, while running back Jadyn Ott has yet to reach the heights he did in nonconference play. It wouldn’t be shocking for both of them to see their numbers take a tick up, but not to the point where they would really be able to beat this UCLA offense in a track meet.

All the Bruins need to do is hold onto the ball and control the tempo and momentum of the game. They’ve actually been unable to do so over the past few weeks, so there is some cause for concern on that front.

However, quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and running back Zach Charbonnet are bona fide superstars, and they are bound to bounce back after last week. Thompson-Robinson, especially, will not throw three picks like he did against USC.

The veteran quarterback and the ball-carrier in the backfield next to him will once again be the engine for UCLA’s success, and they’ll likely help make up for another sub-optimal defensive performance.

Benjamin Royer, contributing writer

Prediction: UCLA 31, Cal 28

This end-of-the-season matchup brings nightmare energy, unlike any other game that the Bruins have played in 2022.

After back-to-back home games to Arizona and USC and now having to play at Memorial Stadium against a Pac-12 bottom feeder in Cal, the vibes are bad for Chip Kelly.

I’ll give UCLA the edge over the Golden Bears for the players’ sake. Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Zach Charbonnet will be suiting up for their last-ever regular season contest with the Bruins.

Consistency has been a strong theme on offense. In Westwood, the quarterback-running back duo has become fan favorites, while the dynamic athletes hold genuine shots at lengthy professional careers.

Cal will hold their own on Friday, however. Freshman running back Jaydn Ott could soon be in the transfer portal if the Golden Bears part ways with coach Justin Wilcox, and the budding star may be on the Bruins’ wish list when the offseason arrives.

UCLA’s end to 2022 may have been disappointing, but the blue and gold could still earn their ninth win of their season for the first time in eight seasons.

The Bruins need a victory to close out the campaign on a high note and emerge with momentum heading into bowl season. 

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