AAC: UCF vs Cincinnati 10/29/22 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The UCF Knights and Cincinnati Bearcats meet Saturday in week 9 AAC college football action from Bright House Networks Stadium. Cincinnati is fresh off a matchup versus SMU. In that game, the Bearcats eked out a victory. As for UCF, they played East Carolina in their last game. The Knights lost by 21 points. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

Cincinnati opened the 2022 season with a 31-24 loss to Arkansas. The Bearcats bounced back with a win over Kennesaw State in game two, then kept rolling with victories versus Miami-OH, Indiana, Tulsa and South Florida. 

In the SMU matchup, Cincinnati had a 29-14 lead going into the fourth quarter but still had to hang on in an eventual 29-27 victory. QB Ben Bryant managed 200 yards on 18-of-35 passing, and Charles McClelland rushed 16 times for 129 yards and a TD. 

Over on the UCF side, they beat SC State in their opener game but fell to Louisville in the next outing. After that came a win streak for the Knights as they took out Florida Atlantic, Georgia Tech, SMU and Temple. 

Matched up against East Carolina last weekend, the Knights could only score a field goal in the first half and would ultimately stumble to a 34-13 blowout loss. Quarterback John Rhys Plumlee posted 296 yards and three picks, while Isaiah Bowser had 63 yards and a score rushing. 

The Bearcats are 7-1 ATS versus a team with a winning record and 1-3-1 ATS in their last five overall. Cincinnati is 0-4-1 ATS in their last five road games. 

Meanwhile, the Knights are 4-0 ATS in the last four after an ATS loss and 4-1 ATS in their last five in October. UCF is 2-5 ATS versus a team with a  winning record. 

PICK: I’m probably staying with Cincinnati. The Bearcats got a little haphazard in the final quarter in their last matchup versus SMU, but overall the team did pretty well. Cincinnati finished with 379 yards and zero turnovers. That said, the Bearcats also had just 16 first downs and committed a whopping 14 penalties for 128 yards. They’ve got some work to do. 

As for UCF, they were pretty flat against East Carolina, coughing up three turnovers and holding the ball for just 24:49. The Knights should look better here but I still think Cincinnati earns the close cover/win.