UCLA vs. Pittsburgh Sun Bowl College Football Predictions

The All Bruins staff made their picks for how Friday's postseason showdown against the Panthers is going to go down.

For the first time in five years, the Bruins are participating in bowl season.

No. 18 UCLA football (9-3, 6-3 Pac-12) will play Pittsburgh (8-4, 5-3 ACC) at the Sun Bowl on Friday. The Bruins enter the game as six-point favorites coming off of their best regular season in eight years, while the Panthers will roll into El Paso without the starting quarterback who led them to a winning season in ACC play.

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, Pitt 20

The Panthers are playing battered and bruised, and the Bruins are primed to take advantage.

Without their starting quarterback and running back, plus four key contributors from their front seven on the other side of the ball, Pitt has arrived in El Paso shorthanded. UCLA, on the other hand, is really only missing Kazmeir Allen from their veteran-laden roster.

That alone is ground to pick the Bruins to win, but it goes beyond that. Even if the Panthers were at full strength, it would be really difficult to pick against UCLA as currently constructed, given the broader context of the game.

For one, coach Chip Kelly almost always puts together strong offensive gameplans. This is the first time Bruin fans will get to see what he can cook up for a bowl game on one month's notice, and their expectations should be high.

There's also the fact that this is the first-ever bowl game for star quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who has been joined at the hip with Kelly since 2018. That pair has accomplished a lot in their time together, mostly in the past two years, but they have yet to do anything in the postseason.

Given that this is one of their first chances to shine on a national stage, they won’t disappoint. Thompson-Robinson’s flare and awareness of his legacy will be on full display, and it won’t hurt that he’ll have an All-American running back next to him in the backfield either.

Of course, Pitt’s biggest strength is their run defense, limiting opponents to fewer than 100 yards per game in the ground. Zach Charbonnet probably won’t have his biggest day as a result, but given his big play ability and the Panthers’ holes up frony, he should still put up good numbers.

UCLA will undoubtedly put up a lot of points Friday in Texas, just like they have all season. With a healthy defense – most importantly defensive coordinator Bill McGovern – they could very well be in position to blow their opponents out.

Benjamin Royer, contributing writer

Prediction: UCLA 41, Pitt 17

It's time for one last hurrah for Chip Kelly’s first crop of Bruins.

Everything is still signaling that quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson plans on suiting up to close out his five-year career in Westwood. Running back Zach Charbonnet – who has plenty of NFL draft buzz – and wide receiver Jake Bobo will be joining the Bruins’ signal-caller on the field to play their last games in blue and gold as well.

Pittsburgh, on the other hand, is truly on the opposite end of the depth spectrum. The Panthers’ 2022 starting quarterback Kedon Slovis has already transferred to BYU, while first-string running back Israel Abanikanda opted out of the Sun Bowl and declared for the 2023 NFL Draft. There are plenty of other starters who are out for a handful of other reasons, severely limiting their options, especially on defense.

In truth, UCLA should have an easy path to its first bowl game victory since the 2014 season. No matter how many points Pittsburgh puts up against the Bruins’ defense, the pure star power on the blue and gold’s offense should be enough to carry UCLA to victory.

The Bruins put up 39.6 points per game in 2022 – the ninth-best scoring offense in the FBS. UCLA should slightly outperforming that number against a defense with several new holes en route to a season-defining 10th win.

Although there are so many "What could have been?" moments that plagued the Bruins, 10 wins would be a welcome end to Thompson-Robinson’s record-setting tenure at quarterback in Westwood.

Follow Connon on Twitter at @SamConnon
Follow Royer on Twitter at @thebenroyer
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