Time: 4 PM EST
Spread: UCF -17
Total: 50
M/L: UCF -800, FLAI +600
UCF
The Knights hung tough last week against a ranked opponent, covering the spread by losing by 15 to Ohio State.
Blake Bortles threw two TD passes but was also intercepted three times, as he completed 25 of 41 for 249 yards. His two TDs were caught by Justin Tukes and Billy Giovanetti.
Latavious Murray was out with a shoulder injury, and Storm Johnson started in his place, rushing for 75 yards on 12 carries.
All in all, the week wasn’t too bad for the Knights, as they didn’t exactly embarrass themselves against a much better Buckeyes program. One may even suggest that if Murray had played, an upset could have been possible.
Golden Knights fans were upset that the team wasn’t invited to a bowl last season, but this year should be a return to bowl play. Athlon magazine predicts a 9-4 finish for the Knights, who are spending their final year in Conference USA before moving to the Big East.
They’ll be appealing their bowl ban… Their schedule this year is pretty soft, so if they can play to the best of their abilities, it would be a nice redemption to find themselves before a large audience on National TV for a bowl game.
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
Florida International is one of the best teams in their conference. That sounds impressive until you consider that the conference in question is the Sun Belt. Last season, the Golden Panthers reeled off a 7-1 conference record…but won only one non-conference game. This season, they have faced off against one school that doesn’t really bother with football (Duke), and lost, and they narrowly avoided defeat against Akron last week, winning by a field goal in overtime.
If they are able to cover this spread, it will likely be due to sophomore QB Jake Medlock having a big game. Medlock has thrown for 557 yards in the two games with a 61.3% completion ratio and has yet to throw an interception. Due to a weak OL, he has been sacked six times, lowering his otherwise impressive stats and affecting his QB rating of 136.
Betting Trends:
Florida Intl is 7-0 ATS in their last 7 after accumulating 40+ points and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 non-conf games. They are 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 games following an ATS loss.
Knights are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall and 9-3 ATS in their last 12 September games. They are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 after scoring less than 20 points the previous game and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 after allowing less than 170 yards passing in the previous game.
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