In Friday action, the UCF Knights (5-3, 4-3 AAC) and South Florida Bulls (1-7, 0-6) renew acquaintances in the War for I-4 at Raymond James Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff time. Below, we analyze the UCF-South Florida college football betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
UCF at South Florida: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:08 a.m. ET.
- Money line: UCF -1667 (bet $1,667 to win $100) | South Florida +890 (bet $100 to win $890)
- Against the spread/ATS: UCF -25 (-110) | South Florida +25 (-110)
- Over/Under: 66.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
UCF at South Florida: Three things to know
- South Florida leads this rather new rivalry game by a 6-5 count on the gridiron, although UCF has rattled off three consecutive victories in the series. Last season, UCF held serve at home with a 34-7 win, and it has won each of the past two installments in this rivalry by 27.5 points per game.
- UCF is licking its wounds after a near-miss upset of unbeaten Cincinnati last week at the Bounce House. The Knights were able to hit against the 4-point number with a backdoor cover, falling 36-33. They’re 3-1 SU/2-2 ATS in four road outings this season, hitting the Over in three of those games.
- It has been a trying season for the Bulls, who haven’t beaten an FBS team all season. They won their opener Sept. 12 against FCS The Citadel 27-6, and have been in freefall since. They lost at Houston by 35 last week, and have dropped five of the past seven by at least 20 points.
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UCF at South Florida: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
UCF 48, South Florida 24
Money line (ML)
UCF (-1667) will win its fourth straight in this series, but you cannot risk nearly 17 times your potential return. It’s a bad long-term strategy, because eventually you’re going to get stung betting heavy favorites. AVOID, and look to the spread.
Against the spread (ATS)
SOUTH FLORIDA +25 (-110) is worth a small-unit play. That’s a lot of points in a rivalry-type game, even if USF’s results to date have been uneven overall. While the Bulls are 1-7 SU, they have not yet failed to cover in consecutive games this season, and they’re coming off a non-cover in Houston last time out on Nov. 14.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 66.5 (-110) at even-money is a nice early holiday gift. The Over is 4-0-1 in the past five games for USF, and the Over is 4-1 in the previous five for UCF as a road favorite, too.
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