UCF Knights (1-0) vs Louisville Cardinals (0-1)
Game Info: Friday, September 9, 2022 at 7:30 pm (FBC Mortgage Stadium)
Betting Odds: UCF Knights -5.5 -- Over/Under: 61.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Louisville Cardinals and Central Florida Knights face off on Friday in a college football showdown at Bright House Networks Stadium.
The Louisville Cardinals were favorites in the first game of the season against the Syracuse Orange, but they looked awful and were defeated. At the end of the first quarter, Louisville was down 10-7, but they didn’t score the rest of the game, and they were defeated 31-7. Malik Cunningham didn’t look good in the first game, completing 16 of his 22 passes for 152 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. Running back Tiyon Evans did look good, rushing 13 times for 89 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Tyler Hudson did have a big game, catching eight passes for 102 yards. On defense, they had issues stopping the running the run and the pass, the defense is going to need to be a whole lot better in this game.
On the other side of this matchup is Central Florida, who opened up their season against South Carolina State, and they were able to secure the 56-10 victory. At the end of the first quarter, Central Florida was up 21-0, and they never looked back as they cruised to the victory. John Rys Plumlee looked good, completing 20 of his 31 passes for 308 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed 15 times for 86 yards and a touchdown. Javon Baker has had five catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. The defense also looked good, giving up only 10 points, but they have an even tougher test here.
The Cardinals are 2-5 against the spread in their last seven games overall. Central Florida is 4-1 against the spread in their last five non-conference games. The over is 4-1 in Louisville’s last five games on Friday. The over is 4-1 in Central Florida’s last five games against the ACC.
I was high on Louisville coming into the season, but their offense clearly is an issue. Syracuse isn’t known for their defense, and they had no issue slowing down Cunningham and the rest of Louisville. In this game, look for Louisville’s offense to struggle against UCF’s defense, and the Knights will get the job done here. Back Central Florida to win this game and cover the spread.