Central Florida vs. Connecticut Pick
A year after posting an undefeated record, Central Florida will look to open its 2018 season with yet another victory when the Knights take on Connecticut on Thursday night. Will the Knights cover the huge spread when these two teams open their season at 7:00 p.m. ET?
Game Snapshot
133 Central Florida Knights at 134 Connecticut Huskies
7:00 p.m. ET, Thursday, August 30, 2018
Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Knights are 23-point favorites to beat the Huskies. The total, meanwhile, sits at 75 points. As of this writing, 57% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Cowboys.
Central Florida Knights
Pro Football Focus notes that UCF junior QB McKenzie Milton had the second-highest adjusted completion percentage on deep passes in 2017. The only player who was better on deep passes was Baker Mayfield, so Milton is tops among returning signal-callers. Milton also threw for 21 touchdowns on deep throws — which are classified as throws 20 yards or longer by PFF — the top mark in 2017. Milton excelled in many analytical areas, but his ability to make plays downfield ranks at the top, and it’s why the website is so high on the 5’11, 170-pound quarterback.
Connecticut Huskies
Connecticut redshirt freshman RB Zavier Scott is listed at the top of the depth chart for their game against UCF on Thursday. This is a bit of a surprise, as sophomore tailback Kevin Mensah was expected to be act as the starter to begin the season. Scott (6’1/205) has clearly impressed in camp, however, and reportedly has run a 4.38 40-yard-dash time. Expect Mensah to get plenty of touches as well, but Scott is intriguing because of his size/speed combination. The question will be if the Connecticut offensive line can open holes for either.
Betting Trends
Central Florida
The Knights are 4-1-1 against the spread in their last six road games.
Connecticut
The Huskies have covered the spread in five straight conference games.
Prediction
UCF junior quarterback McKenzie Milton had to learn a new system this offseason after former Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Heupel took over as head coach but the transition should be seamless. Heupel’s offense isn’t overly complicated and Milton should burn an inexperienced UConn defense on Thursday night.
College Football Prediction: Central Florida Knights -23