The Conference USA championship will be decided when the 9-3 Knights of Central Florida tangle with the 9-3 Hurricane of Tulsa Saturday afternoon on Tulsa's home field (noon ET, ESPN2).

In the early betting the 'Cane, who just beat the Knights 10 days ago 23-21, were getting one point from UCF.



View Central Florida vs Tulsa Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Bettors looking to side with the Golden Hurricane in this one found them as 1-point favorites at Sportsbook. The over under number was slated to open a short time later.

Power Rankings / Prediction: The Golden Hurricane sit at No. 24 in the current NCAAF Power Rankings here at OddsShark, while the Knights are at No. 42 on that chart. Math models have concluded that the Knights will win this game 43-40.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Tulsa's No. 31-ranked offense (35.2 PPG) against a Knights defense that ranks No. 26 at 21.6 PPG. The Golden Hurricane passing attack has averaged 226.2 yards per game, more than the Knights give up through the air (223.2 YPG on average).

In comparing defenses, the Knights own the league's No. 76-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 184.5 yards per game when on the road. Tulsa, on the other hand, rates No. 10 this week in generating rushing yards at home.

Last time out for Central Florida, they were a 49-24 Sportsbook as they battled UAB at home. Central Florida covered in the match as a 21.5-point favorite, while 73 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors. UAB didn’t make much of a game of it last time out, losing to the Knights as Central Florida blasted them 49-24 in Week 13 action.

Tulsa lost its last outing, a 35-27 result against Southern Methodist on November 24. Tulsa failed to cover in that game as a 6-point favorite, while the 62 combined points took the game OVER the total. Cody Green's 413-yard performance through the air wasn't enough last time out, as Southern Methodist earned a 35-27 win over Tulsa on Saturday at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.


Central Florida Knights Trends:
When playing in December are 3-4
When playing on turf are 4-6
After being outgained are 7-3
When playing within the conference are 8-2

Tulsa Golden Hurricane Trends:
When playing in December are 3-4
When playing on turf are 8-2
After outgaining opponent are 7-3
When playing within the conference are 8-2

A few Knights at Golden Hurricane trends to consider:
Central Florida is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Central Florida's last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Central Florida's last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Central Florida's last 5 games when playing Tulsa
Tulsa is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tulsa's last 6 games
Tulsa is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tulsa's last 5 games when playing Central Florida