BYU Cougars vs Central Florida Knights Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/26/2024

Game Time: 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 26, 2024

Venue:  FBC Mortgage Stadium, Orlando, FL

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  BYU +1.5, UCF -1.5; Over/Under:  55.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  BYU +1.5, UCF -1.5; Over/Under:  55.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  BYU +1.5, UCF -1.5; Over/Under:  55.5 points

BYU Cougars:  7-0 (4-0) (1st place, Big 12)

Central Florida Knights:  3-4 (1-3) (12th place, Big 12)

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BYU Cougars:  won their last game at home against the Oklahoma State Cowboys 38-35.

Central Florida Knights:  lost their last game on the road against the Iowa State Cyclones 38-35.

BYU is entering this game with a 7-0 record overall and they have a 4-0 record in their conference games too. They are 4-0 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 Oklahoma State 38-35. Jake Retzlaff was the starting QB and he completed 13/26 passes for 218 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. LJ Martin led the team in rushing yards with 120 and 2 TDs. Darius Lassiter led the receivers with 129 receiving yards on 6 receptions and 1 TD. Harrison Taggart led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 5 assisted tackles while Jack Kelly led the defense in sacks with 1. Tommy Prassas and Tanner Wall each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

UCF is entering this game with a 3-4 record overall and they have a 1-3 record in their conference games too. They are 2-2 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 Iowa State 38-35. Jacurri Brown was the starting QB and he completed 8/20 passes for 62 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. RJ Harvey led the team in rushing yards with 196 and 2 TDs. Kobe Hudson led the receivers with 26 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Quadric Bullard led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while Lee Hunter, Malachi Lawrence, and Daylan Dotson each led the defense in sacks with 1. Braeden Marshall and Brandon Adams each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have BYU listed as a 1.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. BYU has looked really good in their games this season with their 7-0 record overall and their 4-0 conference record which leads the Big 12 with the best record. They have looked great in their road games too with their 3-0 road record. Meanwhile, UCF hasn't looked good in their games this season with their 3-4 record overall and their 1-3 conference record which has them near the bottom of the Big 12. They are only 2-2 in their home games too and coming off another loss in their last one. They did look a lot better in their last game as they almost pulled off the upset win over Iowa State, but they still fell short and gave up 38 points to an Iowa State offense that hasn't been putting up a ton of points in their games this year. BYU struggled on offense at the start of the season, but lately they have been putting up a ton of points in their games. They just put up 38 in their last one and they have a really good defense that hasn't been giving up a ton of points this year either. They did give up 35 points last week, but they were getting a rested OK State team that was also desperate to win a game and stop the bleeding. UCF is also desperate, but they aren't coming out of a bye week and they will struggle to put up points on this BYU defense that will be looking to bounce back with a better performance. The best way to place a bet here is on BYU to cover the spread in this game. 

BYU Central Florida Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 26, 2024 (3:30 pm ET start time) is BYU 28 UCF 21.

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BYU Cougars: 5-2 ATS when the line is +3 to -3. 8-4 1H ATS when the total is between 49.5 and 56. 5-1 1H ATS after 3 or more consecutive straight up wins. 6-2 UNDER vs. good offensive  teams - scoring 31 or more points/game. 4-1 1H UNDER versus good rushing defenses - allowing 120 rushing yards/game or less.

Central Florida Knights: 3-7 ATS off a loss against a conference rival. 1-5 ATS after allowing 37 points or more last game. 4-8 ATS after 1 or more consecutive straight up losses. 8-3 UNDER when the line is +3 to -3. 9-5 UNDER vs. good offensive  teams - scoring 31 or more points/game. 5-2 UNDER off a road loss.

BYU Cougars:  K. Epps (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Brown (OL) Out - Knee.

Central Florida Knights:  J. Davis (TE) Out - Achilles.

“It was uncharacteristic of what you see from our defense. I thought we freelanced a little bit for the sake of trying to make the big play.” - Kalani Sitake after his team’s win against OK State in their last game. 

"I'm real excited about him. You talk about his potential, it's really off the charts. He's got as good an arm as probably anybody in college football. I like the way he's handled himself. He ran physical, he ran hard and the moment wasn't too big. A lot of really good things to build upon with him." - Gus Malzahn on Jacurri Brown starting this game against BYU.

WR Marion, Keelan 

WR Roberts, Chase

WR Lassiter, Darius 

TE Hill, Keanu 

QB Retzlaff, Jake

RB Ropati, Hinckley

WR Hudson, Kobe 

WR Whittemore, Trent 

WR Johnson, Ja'Varrius

TE Pittman Jr., Randy

QB Jefferson, KJ 

RB Harvey, RJ

Passing: J. Retzlaff (1644)

Rushing: J. Retzlaff (265)

Receiving: D. Lassiter (450)

Touchdowns: L. Martin (6)

Passing: K. Jefferson (1012)

Rushing: R. Harvey (890)

Receiving: K. Hudson (503)

Touchdowns: R. Harvey (13)

Coaches:

BYU Cougars: Kalani Sitake (9th season)

Central Florida Knights: Gus Malzahn (4th season)