ESPN's College GameDay crew gives their picks for UCLA-Coastal Carolina game
ESPN’s College GameDay was nearly unanimous in picking UCLA’s opener against Coastal Carolina.
The Bruins open the post-Dorian Thompson-Robinson era at home against a Coastal Carolina team led by its own program-defining kind of quarterback. Grayson McCall has 78 career touchdown passes against eight interceptions, and he holds a career 70.6% completion rate.
On the other side, UCLA will be starting Ethan Garbers at quarterback. But Kent State transfer Collin Schlee and 5-star freshman Dante Moore are both expected to play. Coach Chip Kelly has yet to use a three-quarterback system in his time as a college coach. It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.
The Bruins’ defense will be tested, but the traveling pregame show for ESPN likes UCLA.
“I trust Chip Kelly,” said Pat McAfee.
The GameDay crew picked a UCLA victory. The weekly celebrity guest picker was Coastal’s lone supporter. Here are the picks.
- Desmond Howard: UCLA
- Pat McAfee: UCLA
- Darius Rucker (guest picker): Coastal Carolina
- Lee Corso: UCLA
- Kirk Herbstreit: UCLA
The Bruins are a 15.5-point favorite in the opener. ESPN’s FPI gives them an 85.8% chance to win the game.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN.