UCLA and California open the season with intriguing player matchups on both sides of the ball when they take the field in Berkeley tonight.
Our UCLA vs. California prop picks focus on favorable spots for two offensive stars while fading a running back facing a difficult game script.
Here are my latest college football picks for Saturday, Sept. 5, with kickoff set for 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Best UCLA vs California props
For help understanding probabilities, please see our odds calculator.
| Pick |  Probability |
|---|---|
 Wayne Knight Over 58.5 rushing yards |
53% |
 Chase Hendricks Over 59.5 receiving yards |
55% |
| Adam Mohamed Under 62.5 rushing yards |
55% |
Percentages courtesy of ProphetX, one of the best prediction market apps.
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Prop pick #1: 
Wayne Knight Over 58.5 rushing yards
First-year UCLA head coach Bob Chesney brought running back Wayne Knight with him from James Madison. Last season, Knight ran for 1,373 yards on 6.6 yards per rush.
Knight rushed for 74+ yards in 12 of his 14 games last season, including 110 yards against Oregon in the first round of the 2025-26 College Football Playoff.
Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava is a dual-threat pivot, which can open up running lanes for Knight if California's defense loses gap discipline on run-pass option plays (RPOs).
The Golden Bears have only three defensive starters returning this season, and they were 104th in rush defense success rate last year, according to GameOnPaper.com.
Prop pick #2: Chase Hendricks Over 59.5 receiving yards
California wideout Chase Hendricks was second-team All-MAC last season while catching balls for the Ohio Bobcats. Hendricks had a conference-best 1,037 receiving yards last year, and he put up 76+ receiving yards in nine of his 13 games in 2025.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hendricks is the highest-graded starter for either team in this game. His 83.8 grade ranks 35th out of 1,075 qualified receivers last season.
UCLA had the worst pass defense in the Big Ten last year, and Golden Bears sophomore QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele had the second-most pass attempts in the ACC.
Prop pick #3: Adam Mohammed Under 62.5 rushing yards
The Golden Bears can only improve their rushing game after ranking 135th out of 136 FBS programs in yards per carry last season (3.54), according to GameOnPaper.com.
However, UCLA will win this game, which would put California in a "negative game state" when it's behind and force the Golden Bears to abandon the run game.
While playing for the Washington Huskies last season, RB Adam Mohammed only ran for 60+ yards in three of his 13 games. Granted, one of those was against the Bruins, but I'm overlooking that for the aforementioned reasons.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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