The BYU Cougars, now depleted without Taysom Hill, hit the road in college football action on Thursday night when they take on the UCF Knights. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the odds for the game have the Knights favored by about a field goal to get this one done.
BYU took a huge blow last week when Hill went down with a leg injury. BYU was considered to be a potential playoff-busting team this season with a bigtime quarterback, very good defense and soft schedule. Yet, the Cougars won't be able to survive that schedule this season. It's now up to Bronco Mendenhall and the guys to circle the wagons and try and get this one back on track.
These clubs have only met once before, back in 2011, with BYU taking advantage of some Central Florida special teams mistakes.
This year's UCF team is rebounding a bit from last year. They played to a 12-1 season, losing only at South Carolina by a field goal. The Knights went on to pick up a Fiesta Bowl win over Baylor, scoring 52 points in the process.
But quaterback Blake Bortles is off to the NFL and this UCF team is different. Their toughest two games of the season were their opening two, losing to Penn State in Ireland and losing at Missouri. The Knights opened the season with an 0-2 record but have rebounded to level their record. This will be the second straight week they are playing on Thursday night, coming off a solid road win over Houston last week.
BYU will be relying on some past success when going on the road and getting points. The Cougars have posted a 12-1 against the number record dating back to 2010 when they are getting points. UCF, on the other hand, has covered just one of the last six contests when they were favored.
Look for BYU to rally and find a way to pick up a road win here. They aren't the same team without Hill at quarterback, but the defense is still good enough to keep UCF under control.
Free Pick: BYU 28, UCF 21
College Football Free Picks: BYU vs Central Florida Betting
What college football bettors need to know about betting BYU Cougars vs Central Florida Knights on Thursday (10/09/14) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Steve Fezzik with added insight from Scott Spreitzer.
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