The No. 11 Knights of UCF (-8) are set to welcome the Cincinnati Bearcats to Spectrum Stadium. This pivotal conference showdown kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET and ABC is scheduled to broadcast the action. When the two teams faced each other a year ago, UCF knocked off Cincinnati by four touchdowns 51-23.
Cincinnati Bearcats vs. UCF Knights Betting Preview
In this Saturday American Athletic Conference game, UCF is labeled as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 8 points. The Bearcats are also receiving +250 moneyline odds while the Knights are -330. Should one squad can catch a lucky break in the early stages it’ll create a reasonable betting opportunity in-game. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 59 points.
The line opened at -8. The game’s total hasn’t moved since being set initially at 59.
Each team has rewarded gamblers this year as the Bearcats have gained 11.0 units and the Knights are ahead 4.0 units.
The perfect Bearcats have gone 9-1 straight up (SU), including 5-1 SU against AAC opponents. The Knights are 9-0 SU overall and 6-0 SU in conference play.
The Bearcats are coming off a resounding 35-23 win over South Florida last week. The defensive unit did its part in the win, holding the Bulls to just 232 passing yards and 81 yards on the ground. Mitchell Wilcox had a good day for the Bulls in that one with 90 yards and a score on seven catches. On the offensive side, Desmond Ridder completed 17-of-24 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Warren II (151 rushing yards on 28 attempts, three TDs) and the signal-caller Ridder (60 yards on 18 carries) led the ground attack. Kahlil Lewis (five receptions, 37 yards, one TD) and Rashad Medaris (four catches, 92 yards) shared the receiving duties in the win.
UCF enters this one after just earning a 35-24 win over Navy. The defense let the Midshipmen rush for 374 yards on 63 attempts, including three rush TDs. Zach Abey was a bright spot in the defeat, posting 85 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 26 attempts for Navy. For UCF, McKenzie Milton completed 17-of-21 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Greg McCrae (101 yards on 17 rush attempts, one TD) and Adrian Killins Jr. (83 yards on 14 carries) handled the running game as Dredrick Snelson (five receptions, 72 yards, two TDs) and Tre Nixon (four catches, 44 yards) led the receiving corps in the win.
Cincinnati has run the ball on 63.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while UCF has a rush percentage of 59.0 percent. The Bearcats have produced 236 rush yards per game (including 236 per game against American Athletic Conference opponents) and have 31 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Knights are logging 271 rush yards per game (275 in conference) and have 29 total rushing TDs.
The Bearcats offensive scheme has logged 212 yards per contest through the air overall (227 per game against conference opposition) and has 16 passing scores so far. The Knights have recorded 272 pass yards per game (260.0 in the AAC) and have 22 total pass TDs.
Cincinnati appears to have an advantage in both defensive facets. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 103 yards and pass for 177 yards per game. The UCF D has allowed 214.7 yards per game to opposing passers and 208.9 yards per game to opposing runners. The Bearcats are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.39 to opponents, while the Knights have allowed a 4.97 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Ridder has amassed 1,719 yards this year. He’s connected on 146-of-232 attempts with 14 passing scores and five interceptions. Ridder has a 6.66 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 9.36 over the past two games.
McKenzie Milton has completed 136-of-221 passes for 1,997 yards, 18 TDs and four INTs for UCF. His ANY/A sits at 9.42 for the year and 10.50 across his last two games.
RELATED: Week 12 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Free Pick: Cincinnati Bearcats vs. UCF Knights
SU Winner – UCF, ATS Winner – UCF, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes
The UCF offense has lost two fumbles this season while Cincinnati has lost nine.
The Cincinnati defensive unit has sacked opposing QBs 24 times this season. UCF has recorded just 17 sacks.
As a team, Cincinnati has averaged 4.7 yards per carry over its last three games and 5.4 over its last two.
UCF has averaged 6.2 yards per carry over its last three outings and 6.5 over its past two.
Over its last three matches, UCF is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for Cincinnati’s previous game was set at 52. The over cashed in the team’s 35-23 triumph over South Florida.
Over its last three matchups, Cincinnati is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for UCF’s last outing going into it was 69. The under cashed in that 35-24 triumph over Navy.
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