Betting Preview: UCF Knights vs Cincinnati Bearcats

It’s been four long years since Cincinnati was even competitive against UCF – but the Bearcats are hoping this is their year as these AAC rivals renew hostilities Friday night at Nippert Stadium. The Bearcats have dropped three straight decisions to the Knights while getting outscored 113-39 in the process.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Knights opened as 3.5-point favorites; it’s the first time this spread has sat below 6.5 points in either team’s direction in five all-time meetings between the programs.

UCF News & Notes

No McKenzie Milton? No problem for the Knights, who have been mostly dominant despite losing their star quarterback to a major leg injury at the end of last season. Dillon Gabriel has stepped in admirably, throwing for 1,338 yards and 14 touchdowns through his first five games of 2019; he threw for three scores in the first half as UCF trounced UConn 56-21 last week.

But while everything is rosy in the win column, with UCF bouncing back nicely from a shocking one-point road loss to Pitt the week before, the cover situation is altogether different. The Knights have gone 0-2 ATS in their past two games and are just 3-6 ATS in their previous nine overall as a favorite of 1 to 3 points.

Cincinnati News & Notes

A Week 2 loss to Ohio State shook something awake in the Bearcats, who have since put the boots to Miami (Ohio) and Marshall with a bye week in between. The lack of offense that had plagued Cincinnati in its first two games (24 total points) has not been a concern, with the Bearcats racking up 87 total points in one-sided victories over the RedHawks and Thundering Herd.

But while things are going well for the moment, the Bearcats have at least one major area to work on if they hope to upend the Knights. Cincinnati’s beleaguered offensive line has already surrendered 12 sacks through its first four games, while the Knights have racked up 11 sacks of their own on the defensive end.

Betting Pick: UCF ATS

Oddsmakers are expecting a more competitive game than these teams have played in recent years, but the Knights can’t be stopped on offense and should put enough pressure on the Bearcats O-line to cover here.