by Rod Pearson
Monday, Nov 02, 2026
Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, November 7, 2026
Venue: Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
Where to Watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: UCLA -5.5, Minnesota +5.5; Over/Under: 39.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: UCLA -5.5, Minnesota +5.5; Over/Under: 39.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: UCLA -5.5, Minnesota +5.5; Over/Under: 39.5 points
Season Record
UCLA Bruins: 8-0 (5-0) (1st place, Big Ten)
Minnesota Golden Gophers: 5-3 (3-2) (6th place, Big Ten)
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UCLA Bruins: won their last game at home against the Nevada Wolf Pack 27-0.
Minnesota Golden Gophers: lost their last game on the road against the Indiana Hoosiers 23-16 in overtime.
UCLA Bruins vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Preview and Analysis
UCLA is entering this game with an 8-0 record overall and they have a 5-0 record in their conference games too. They are 5-0 in their home games, 3-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Nevada 27-0. Ty Dieffenbach was the starting QB and he completed 16/30 passes for 178 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Wayne Knight led the team in rushing yards with 53. Jalen Saint Paul led the receivers with 52 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Sahir West led the defense in that game with 9 tackles while Aiden Gobaira and Sahir West each led the defense in sacks with 1.5. Ty Lee, DJ Barksdale, Jalen Woods, and Scooter Jackson each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.
Minnesota is entering this game with a 5-3 record overall and they have a 3-2 record in their conference games too. They are 4-1 in their home games, 1-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against Indiana 23-16 in OT. Drake Lindsey was the starting QB and he completed 20/37 passes for 120 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. TJ Thomas Jr. led the team in rushing yards with 54. Javon Tracy led the receivers with 40 receiving yards on 7 receptions. Aydan West and Maverick Baranowski each led the defense in that game with 7 tackles while TJ Bush and Theorin Randle each led the defense in sacks with 1. Jaxon Howard came away with the only interception for them in that one.
UCLA vs Minnesota Prediction
The current betting odds have UCLA listed as a 5.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. UCLA has looked great in their games this season with their 8-0 record overall and their 5-0 conference record which has them right at the top of the Big Ten. They have been a great road team too with their 3-0 road record this year. Meanwhile, Minnesota has looked good in their games this season with their 5-3 record overall and their 3-2 conference record which has them in the top half of the Big Ten. They have looked good on their home field too with their 4-1 home record this season. Minnesota has been pulling off some nice upset wins in the Big Ten. They got a big win over Iowa 2 weeks ago and now they are coming off a 23-16 loss to Indiana, but they put up a really good fight in that game, taking the program that won the National Championship last season to OT. They had a chance to beat Indiana on the road, but they fell short in OT and they put a ton of effort into winning that one. Now they might not have their best effort for UCLA who is the only undefeated team left in the Big Ten this season. UCLA has really turned things around in this 1st year with Chesney coaching and they have been rolling over a lot of their opponents. They are coming off a 27-0 win over Nevada in their last one which was pretty much a bye week for them, but a lot of their Big Ten wins this season have been blow out wins like that. They have one of the best rushing attacks in the conference and their defense hasn't been giving up many points at all lately, looking like one of the best defenses in the Big Ten. Minnesota has a great defense themselves, but their offense has had a lot of trouble putting up points and it isn't going to get any easier against this defense. UCLA has more offensive talent to help them pull away here and this isn't a great situation for Minnesota after a tough game in which they took Indiana to OT on the road. The best way to place a bet here is on UCLA to cover the spread in this game.
UCLA Minnesota Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, November 7, 2026 (12:00 pm ET start time) is UCLA 20 Minnesota 13.
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NCAAF Betting Trends
UCLA Bruins: 5-11 ATS when the total is between 35.5 and 42 points. 55-72 ATS off a home win. 7-12 ATS versus poor offensive teams - averaging 310 yards/game or less. 9-4 UNDER as a favorite. 5-0 UNDER versus poor rushing teams - averaging 120 rushing yards/game or less.
Minnesota Golden Gophers: 21-11 ATS in all lined games. 12-5 ATS in home lined games. 7-1 ATS off a loss against a conference rival. 10-3 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 75%). 7-2 UNDER as a home underdog. 6-3 UNDER off a loss against a conference rival.
Key Injuries
UCLA Bruins: N. Iamaleava (QB) Out - Leg. R. Pleasant (CB) Out - Undisclosed. J. Davis (OG) Out - Undisclosed. J. Phifer (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. S. Yoon (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Matthews (WR) Out - Undisclosed.
Minnesota Golden Gophers: B. Stevens (WR) Questionable - Illness. Z. Bates (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. Sunderland (K) Questionable - Undisclosed. A. Turner (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. R. Estrada (RB) Out - Knee.
Notable Quotes
“To get yourself to 8-0 is a big deal and to shut a team out at any level is a big deal. There's a lot of work that still needs to go into this thing and we got to get better.” - Bob Chesney after his team’s win against Nevada in their last game.
“They made some big-time plays, and we did everything we could to put ourselves in position to win. But our kids never blink, never back down. We expected to win this game. That's a hurt locker room in there." - P.J. Fleck after his team’s loss against Indiana in their last game.
Starting Lineups
UCLA Bruins
WR Rowe Jr., Brian
WR Ellis, Landon
WR Morgan, Semaj
TE Loftin, Brayden
QB Dieffenbach, Ty
RB Knight, Wayne
Minnesota Golden Gophers
WR Smith, Jalen
WR Jennings, Noah
WR Tracy, Javon
TE Helms, Kaden
QB Lindsey, Drake
RB Taylor, Darius
Statistical Leaders
UCLA Bruins
Passing: Nico Iamaleava (982)
Rushing: Wayne Knight (680)
Receiving: Semaj Morgan (415)
Touchdowns: Wayne Knight (14)
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Passing: Drake Lindsey (1,592)
Rushing: TJ Thomas (379)
Receiving: Javon Tracy (460)
Touchdowns: Darius Taylor (6)
Coaches:
UCLA Bruins: Bob Chesney (1st season)
Minnesota Golden Gophers: P.J. Fleck (10th season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
