The Temple Owls (+10) are heading south to visit the No. 9 UCF Knights at Spectrum Stadium. This pivotal AAC matchup starts at 7:30 p.m. ET and you can watch the action on ESPN.
Temple Owls vs. UCF Knights Betting Preview
Temple is a big road underdog in this AAC matchup and is currently getting 10 points. In order to take the home favorite, moneyline gamblers would currently need to spend $400 to win $100 back on the Knights (-400). The Owls are getting +300 moneyline odds. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 56.5 points. Should the favorite falls down early on, it will likely create a nice betting opportunity in-game.
The sharp action is siding with both the Owls and the over. The line originally opened at -12 and the game’s total was initially set at only 54.5.
The Owls are 6-2 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 0.1 units so far in 2018. The team’s posted an O/U record of 3-4. The Knights have been a nice surprise for moneyline bettors this season, gaining 3.0 units. The team is 5-2 ATS and has an O/U record of 2-5.
The perfect Owls have gone 5-3 straight up (SU), including 4-0 SU against conference opponents. The Knights are 7-0 SU overall and are also 4-0 SU in conference play.
When these two teams met a year ago, UCF knocked off Temple easily 45-19.
The Owls continue to ride high after a 24-17 victory over Cincinnati on October 20. Anthony Russo completed only 20 passes on 41 attempts for 237 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Jager Gardner (56 yards on 15 rushes) led the ground attack while Wright (five receptions, 54 yards, one TD) and Randle Jones (five catches, 67 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the win.
UCF just put together a 37-10 win over East Carolina a couple of weeks ago. The team’s defensive secondary allowed the Pirates to air it out for 406 yards. Trevon Brown had a productive outing in the loss for East Carolina, recording 145 yards and a score on 10 catches. For UCF, Darriel Mack Jr. completed 12-of-20 passes for 69 yards. Mack Jr. (120 yards on 22 rush attempts, one TD) and Adrian Killins Jr. (44 yards on 15 carries) spearheaded the running game while Tre Nixon (four receptions, 21 yards) and Michael Colubiale (three catches, 28 yards) led all UCF pass-catchers in the win.
Temple has run the ball on 51.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while UCF has a rush percentage of 57.6 percent. The Owls have produced 134 rush yards/game (including 138 per game against American Athletic Conference opponents) and have 12 scores on the ground this year. The Knights are averaging 261 rush yards per game (258 in conference) and have 22 total rushing TDs.
The Owls offensive scheme has averaged 239 yards through the air overall (236 per game against conference opposition) and has 14 passing TDs so far. The Knights have put up 276 pass yards per contest (262.0 against AAC foes) and have 17 total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Temple appears to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed 183 rush yards and 148 pass yards per game. The UCF D has allowed 212.6 yards per game to opposing passers and 182.9 yards per game to opposing runners. The Owls are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 3.02 to opposing QBs, while the Knights have allowed a 4.49 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Russo has amassed 1,110 yards this season, and has completed 53 percent of his 160 attempts with eight passing scores and nine interceptions. Russo’s got a 5.17 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.90 over the last two games.
For the home team, McKenzie Milton has completed 119-of-200 passes for 1,797 yards, 16 TDs and four INTs. Milton’s ANY/A sits at 9.21 for the season and 8.70 over his last two games.
RELATED: Week 10 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The O/U for Temple’s last game going into it was 47. The under cashed in the team’s 24-17 victory over Cincinnati.
Temple has produced 3.2 yards per carry across its last three games and 3.0 over its last two.
UCF has averaged 5.5 yards per carry over its last three contests and 5.2 over its last two.
UCF has lost one fumble this season while Temple has lost three.
In its last three matches, Temple is 3-0 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Temple has won six of its last seven games SU, with a 10-point loss to Boston College on September 29th representing the only defeat over that stretch.
The Over/Under for UCF’s last matchup was 65. The under cashed in the 37-10 victory over East Carolina.
Over its last three matches, UCF is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
The Owls offense has produced eight pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Knights have put up five such plays.
The Temple defense has yet to allow a passing play of 40 or more yards, while UCF has given up two such plays.
The Temple offense has created eight rushing plays of 20+ yards, while UCF has created 18 such runs.
The Owls defense has allowed 13 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Knights have given up 10 such runs.
The Temple defense has 23 sacks on the year while UCF has just 13.
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