UCF vs. Temple Spread Prediction
The UCF Knights will put their undefeated record on the line tonight when they host the Temple Owls at 7:30 p.m. ET. Listed as a double-digit favorite, will the Knights cover the spread against the defensive-minded Owls?
Game Snapshot
313 Temple Owls at 314 UCF Knights
7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, November 1, 2018
Spectrum Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Knights are 10.5-point favorites to beat the Owls. The total, meanwhile, sits at 61 points. As of this writing, 63% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Knights.
Temple Owls
Temple redshirt sophomore QB Anthony Russo completed 20-of-41 passes for 237 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in Saturday’s 24-17 overtime win over No. 20 Cincinnati. Russo (6’4/230) led the Owls on a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive with 49 seconds remaining to force overtime. In OT, Russo threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Wright, which was the final score of the game. It was a gutsy performance for the redshirt sophomore, but it certainly wasn’t a clean game highlighted by the three interceptions. These growing pains are to be expected with an unexperienced quarterback, but Temple should be stoked to have a three game winning streak and to have a quarterback capable of moving the ball down the field. Russo will get a tough test against UCF on Thursday, November 1st.
UCF Knights
UCF junior QB McKenzie Milton is a game-time decision for Thursday’s game against Temple. Milton missed the October 20 game against East Carolina, and was able to get a week of rest with the Knights on bye. The star quarterback didn’t practice much last week, but that was likely at least in part due to maintenance. If Milton can’t go, Darriel Mack Jr. would get a second-straight start.
Betting Trends
Temple
The Owls are 40-19 against the spread in their last 59 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game.
UCF
The Knights are 17-5-1 against the spread in their last 23 games after allowing more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
Prediction
Last year, UCF blew Temple out 45-19 and surely, like Memphis a few weeks ago, the Owls have had this game circled for a year. The Knights blew out East Carolina but were out-gained 496-427. They were also out-gained in their come-from-behind victory over Memphis so despite winning 20 consecutive games, there are some things that provide value in the dog tonight. Speaking of which, the Owls are 41-18 against the spread in their last 59 road games and are 35-16 ATS in their lst 51 games overall. I like Temple to hang tonight.
College Football Prediction: Temple Owls +10.5