When the UCLA Bruins travel to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, we get a compelling Big Ten matchup between two teams with postseason aspirations. UCLA enters the contest riding a two-game winning streak, while Ohio State brings one of the more potent offenses in the league and a strong home-court advantage into this nationally televised tilt on CBS. Before tip-off in the Big Ten, continue reading to find my UCLA vs Ohio State prediction.
Our UCLA vs Ohio State Pick
Pick:
UCLA +3.5 ATS PRO
Confidence:
3/5
Game Snapshot
Matchup: UCLA Bruins @ Ohio State Buckeyes
Date & Time: Saturday, January 17, 2026, 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Broadcast: CBS
Key Storylines
Both teams sit at or above .500 in Big Ten play with UCLA at 4-2 and Ohio State at 3-3, making this game important for early-season conference positioning. Both teams could use wins in games like this one to help them stay above .500 in league play and to get them another quality win for their NCAA Tournament resume.
UCLA has momentum, coming off wins over Maryland and Penn State, with Trent Perry recording a 30-point effort most recently. Now the question is whether or not UCLA can build on those last two wins, as they started Big Ten play 2-0 before losing their next two games.
UCLA’s second-leading scorer Skyy Clark is unlikely to play due to a hamstring injury, hurting the Bruins’ offensive depth. The question now is whether or not Ohio State can take advantage of Clark's absence or if they will struggle to contain UCLA's leading scorer, Tyler Bilodeau.
Ohio State has one of the stronger scoring offenses in the Big Ten, averaging over 83 points per game. Ohio State is 7-2 at home this season and they will try to rebound from a three-point loss to the undefeated Nebraska Cornhuskers in their last home game.
This is the first Big Ten meeting between these programs this season and a rare matchup in Columbus for UCLA.
H2H and Betting Trends
In the all-time series, UCLA and Ohio State enter this game dead even in victories, each with 7 wins.
UCLA is 7-10 against the spread so far this season.
Ohio State is 6-10 against the spread going into Saturday afternoon.
The under has hit in 9 of UCLA's first 17 games.
The Buckeyes have seen the under go 9-7 in their games this year.
UCLA vs Ohio State Model Projection
Score Projection: UCLA 76 – Ohio State 77 ATS PRO
Win Probability: UCLA 40%, Ohio State 60% ATS PRO
Final Thoughts
I am going to take the points with the UCLA Bruins in their Big Ten matchup with Ohio State on Saturday. Both of these teams have been tough to beat for the rest of the teams in this conference. No matter who ends up winning this matchup, I project it to be decided by a possession.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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