UCLA vs. Pittsburgh picks, predictions: Sun Bowl schedule, odds, spread, lines

One last go-round for UCLA and its top playmakers as DTR and Zach Charbonnet square off against Pittsburgh in the annual Sun Bowl game

This year's Sun Bowl game finds a resurgent UCLA team meeting up with ACC challenger Pittsburgh as college football bowl season moves towards the new year.

Pittsburgh finished 8-4 in Pat Narduzzi's eighth season, placing second in the division behind UNC, averaging 30.8 points per game and ending the year on a four-game win streak, but also losing starting quarterback Kedon Slovis to the transfer portal this offseason.

UCLA posted a 9-win season, but played through a two-game losing skid late in the year by a combined nine points to Arizona and USC that curtailed its Pac-12 title hopes. The Bruins ranked 9th nationally scoring 39.6 points per game and was 4th overall with 246.3 rushing yards per game.

What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

Sun Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. UCLA picks, predictions

UCLA vs. Pittsburgh Sun Bowl picks, predictions

UCLA prediction: The computers are siding with the Bruins, who have the 53.9 percent chance to win the game outright.

Pittsburgh prediction: That leaves the Panthers with the 46.1 percent edge to pull off the upset, according to the latest index projections.

Point spread: UCLA comes into the game as 8 point favorites against Pittsburgh, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook.

Total: 54 | Over -118 | Under -110

Moneyline: UCLA -333 | Pittsburgh +240

Spread consensus pick: UCLA -8 (69% of bets going with the Bruins)

UCLA ATS record: 6-6

Pittsburgh ATS record: 5-7

UCLA betting trends: "Bruins games hit the over at one of the highest rates in college football (9-3) and this game has the lowest point total of their entire season. For as good as UCLA was, it posted just a .500 record against the spread and failed to cover in its final three games." — Kyle Wood, Sports Illustrated

Pittsburgh betting trends: "The Panthers covered three times during their current four-game winning streak and the over hit in all but one game as well. For the fourth time this season, Pittsburgh is an underdog and it went 0-3 against the spread in such games." — Wood

College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

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College Football Playoff rankings

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. TCU
4. Ohio State
5. Alabama
6. Tennessee
7. Clemson
8. Utah
9. Kansas State
10. USC
11. Penn State
12. Washington
13. Florida State
14. Oregon State
15. Oregon
16. Tulane
17. LSU
18. UCLA
19. South Carolina
20. Texas
21. Notre Dame
22. Mississippi State
23. NC State
24. Troy
25. UTSA

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