Check out our free BYU Cougars vs UCF Knights pick and preview for this CFB week 9 game in Orlando. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this week 9 CFB matchup.
ESPN will be covering the matchup between the BYU Cougars and UCF Knights this Saturday, October 26th, with kickoff set for 3:30 ET from FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando. The Cougars are coming in with a 7-0 record, while the Knights are 3-4. The over/under line is at 55.5 points, and BYU is the slight -1.5-point favorite on the road. This is a week nine matchup in college football.
Cougars vs. Knights Matchup At A Glance
- Sport: CFB
- Teams: BYU Cougars at UCF Knights
- Where: Orlando at FBC Mortgage Stadium
- Date: Saturday, October 26th
- Betting Odds BYU -1.5, BYU -125 | UCF +105 O/U 55.5
Cougars Preview:
BYU enters Week 9 against UCF with a perfect 7-0 record and a 30th-place spot in our power rankings. They are a lock for bowl eligibility and have a 23.6% chance of winning the Big 12. BYU also holds the 13th-best odds of making the CFB playoff at 41.8%.
The Cougars have been favored in three of their seven games this season, going 3-0 as the favorite. They’ve also won all three games as the underdog, and their average scoring margin is +15.9 points per game. Against the spread, BYU is 5-1, with a 3-0 record on the road and 2-1 at home.
BYU’s over/under record is 4-2, with their games averaging 53.9 points. Their average over/under line is 48.9 points, and this week’s line is set at 55.5 points.
Cougars Offense Breakdown
BYU’s offense is averaging 34.9 points per game, placing them 22nd in the nation heading into week 9. In our offensive power rankings, they are 29th. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff has thrown for 1,642 yards with 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 94.
BYU ranks 51st in rushing, averaging 171.9 yards per game. LJ Martin leads the ground attack with 256 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5 yards per carry. Darius Lassiter has 450 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season.
Cougars Team Defense
BYU's defense has been solid this season, ranking 24th nationally by allowing just 19 points per game. In their recent game against Oklahoma State, they gave up 35 points but also forced two interceptions. The Cowboys managed 421 total yards, including 269 rushing yards, while BYU's secondary allowed 152 passing yards.
Opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of just 55.2 against BYU, the 5th-lowest in the country, and are completing only 52.3% of their passes. BYU's defense is giving up 183.1 passing yards per game (34th) and 142.6 rushing yards per game.
Knights Preview:
BYU enters Week 9 against UCF with a perfect 7-0 record and a 30th-place spot in our power rankings. They are a lock for bowl eligibility and have a 23.6% chance of winning the Big 12. BYU also holds the 13th-best odds of making the CFB playoff at 41.8%.
The Cougars have been favored in three of their seven games this season, going 3-0 as the favorite. They’ve also won all three games as the underdog, and their average scoring margin is +15.9 points per game. Against the spread, BYU is 5-1, with a 3-0 record on the road and 2-1 at home.
BYU’s over/under record is 4-2, with their games averaging 53.9 points. Their average over/under line is 48.9 points, and this week’s line is set at 55.5 points.
Knights Offense Breakdown
UCF’s offense is built around their running game, ranking 2nd in the nation with 280.3 rushing yards per game. They are 3rd in rushing attempts, averaging 46.9 per game. RJ Harvey leads the team with 890 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns, and an average of 6 yards per carry. UCF is 38th in scoring, putting up 31.3 points per game, and they rank 37th in third-down conversions, converting 43.2% of their attempts. Our power rankings have them as the 50th best offense heading into week 9.
KJ Jefferson has thrown for 1,012 yards this season, with seven touchdowns and four interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 96. UCF ranks 102nd in passing yards per game, averaging 185.3 yards. Kobe Hudson leads the receiving corps with 503 yards and three touchdowns on 26 receptions.
Knights Team Defense
UCF's defense will look to bounce back after allowing 38 points in their recent loss to Iowa State. The Knights gave up 530 total yards, including 256 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Iowa State also threw for 274 yards, but UCF's defense did manage to force two interceptions.
On the season, UCF ranks 41st nationally, allowing 116.7 rushing yards per game on 30 attempts per game, which is the 22nd fewest in the country. Opposing quarterbacks have averaged 250 passing yards per game against UCF, completing 66.1% of their passes.
Cougars vs Knights Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis
- In their last ten games away from home, the BYU Cougars have a straight up record of 5-5 while going 6-4 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 24 points per game in these contests.
- When looking at their past ten home matchups, UCF has an ATS record of 4-6 while averaging 24 per game. The team went 3-7 overall in these games.
- Going back to their previous three games as the underdog, UCF has an ATS mark of 3-0 while going 1-2 straight up.
- Going back to their last ten games as the favorite, the BYU Cougars have a straight up record of 8-2. But, their mark vs the spread was just 4-6.
BYU Cougars vs UCF Knights Free Pick
- KnupSports.com Free Betting Pick: UCF Knights +1.5 Be sure to check out our other CFB Football betting previews for this week. KnupSports.com also updates their sports betting picks page daily with plays across all sports.
