On Saturday afternoon, Kalani Sitake and the No. 11 BYU football program take on the UCF Knights in Orlando. As of this writing, the Cougars are two point underdogs against the Knights. Today we pull out our crystal ball and predict the outcome of BYU-UCF.

Historically, BYU has never been easy playing at Florida State. The first time BYU won in the Sunshine State was in 2020 against…UCF. The Cougars defeated the Knights in the 2020 Boca Raton Bowl.

The travel combined with UCF’s vaunted rushing attack will make this a major challenge for BYU. On paper, this appears to be BYU’s toughest game left on the schedule. This is why Vegas favors UCF in this game. Despite BYU’s record and national ranking, oddsmakers believe UCF is a poor opponent for BYU’s defense.

You can almost guarantee that BYU’s coaching staff will use the betting line as motivation for their players. Because they have time all season long. Even though the odds started at 7-0 and the odds are 6-1, the oddsmakers continue to doubt the Cougars.

It could be difficult to gain possession in this game. UCF will run the football from start to finish, and BYU also wants to establish a ground attack. At the end of the day, BYU may only get 4-5 chances per half. In this game, it will be crucial to maximize every possession and avoid turnovers.

If BYU forces UCF on 3rd and 5 or longer, they win this game. Run defense on first and second down will be the difference between a win and a loss.

This writer believes in the abilities of defensive coordinator Jay Hill. The Cougars suffered an injury in the running game last week, and this week was spent making adjustments to avoid the same fate against UCF. I think BYU’s defense will look more like the defense seen in Games 1-6 than the defense shown against Oklahoma State.

BYU’s offense will be efficient in limited possessions and continues to show signs that they can be a balanced offense with LJ Martin in the lineup.

The BYU defense will force a timely turnover or two like it does every game, and Jake Retzlaff will continue to improve as a passer.

BYU 31 | UCF23