The Conference USA Championship Game takes place on Saturday and we will see the Central Florida Knights take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Skelly Field in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The game is scheduled for a 12:00 PM (Eastern) start time and it will be televised live on ESPN 2. Currently the odds for the game have Tulsa favored by 2.5 points, while the total sits at 54. Check out Sportsbook Spy to find out what side the Public is taking on all today's games.
Free Analysis: UCF is one of a handful of schools that will be migrating to the Big East following the season. The Knights were banned from bowl participation in August due to recruiting violations. Coach George O'Leary's squad may not be eligible for next year's bowl season as a member of an automatic qualifying BCS conference, but it remained relevant for 2012. UCF experienced losses to Ohio State (31-16) and Missouri (21-16) before kicking off its C-USA slate. The tough non-conference schedule paid off as it then went on a six-game winning streak once entering league action and still finished 9-3 overall with just one setback in conference play. UCF does not rack up a jaw-dropping amount of yards on a regular basis and finished the regular season ranked just seventh in the league with 406.5 yards of total offense per game, but it has been much more efficient, which has led to second-best scoring offense in the league at 35.2 ppg. In his first full season as a starter, Blake Bortles has played well, completing 64.4 percent of his passes for 2,593 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. However, he, along with the rest of the Knights' offense, struggled against Tulsa, completing just 13-of-31 pass attempts. UCF is in position to earn a conference championship thanks in large part to its stout defense, which ranks first in the league in scoring defense (21.6) and second in yards allowed (374.9).The unit has forced 24 turnovers, led by six from Kemal Ishmael (three INTs, three fumble recoveries). In addition to being one of the top defensive playmakers in the league, the senior defensive back is also the team leader in tackles (102).
Tulsa finished the season with an identical overall and conference record to its opponent. The Golden Hurricane opened up their season with a loss at Iowa State and fell in a late non-conference bout at Arkansas, but they pushed through their league schedule to build a 9-2 record going into last week's regular-season finale. However, Tulsa was finally taken down by a league rival as the desperate SMU Mustangs handed them a 35-27 loss to secure bowl eligibility. Coach Bill Blankenship's team still maintained the hosting rights to the championship game despite the loss. Tulsa is one of the few teams in the C-USA that relies on its rushing attack for production. It is hard to argue with the results as the Golden Hurricane rank 12th in the FBS in rushing offense (236.1 ypg) and third in the conference in scoring offense (35.2ppg). The team racked up 461 yards of total offense including 209 rushing yards two weeks ago versus UCF, which came into the contest with averages of just 343.9 total yards and 152.3 rushing yards per contest. Tulsa's smash-mouth style features a stable of talented rushers, whose different styles continuously keep opposing defenses guessing. Ja'Terian Douglas (837 yards, six TDs) and Trey Watts (825 yards, three TDs) have both shown off speed, vision, and elusiveness when handed the ball to kick the offense into higher gear. With a run-first offense, Cody Green accepted the role of game manager for the majority of the season. Over his last two games, Green has completed 58.2 percent of his passes for 665 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions. The strong finish brought his season totals to 2,346 yards, 16 TDs, and nine INTs. The Tulsa defensive unit is ranked right behind UCF in the C-USA rankings in scoring defense (23.9 ppg), but it is first total defense (355.9 ypg). The unit has made big plays in the backfield consistently with 98 tackles for loss, 45 sacks, and 23 total takeaways.
Free Pick: Im going with the Under in this one. Both of these teams come into this game playing pretty good defense. The UCF Knights have been a good defensive team all year as they have allowed just 274.9 ypg (42nd) and 21.6 ppg (26th). In the first meeting they did allow Tulsa 461 yards, but just 23 points and I feel they will do a bit better in this game. The Knights have allowed more than 24 points just once in their last 9 games and that one was an OT game vs Southern Miss. The Tulsa defense comes in allowing just 355.9 ypg (33rd) and 23.9 ppg (42nd), but they have been even stingier in their last 6 games, allowing just 19.5 ppg over that stretch. Both teams average 35+ ppg on offense, but they usually use time consuming drives and that will eat clock. The teams played each other recently and just 44 points were scored in the game. I see nothing in this one that makes me think they can reach 54 points. Mid 40's at best here.
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