UCF Golden Knights (3-2) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (4-1)
October 11, 2025 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: Cincinnati Bearcats -9.5; Over/Under:
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The Central Florida Knights and the Cincinnati Bearcats meet Saturday in college football action from Nippert Stadium. Here’s a Cincinnati vs Central Florida prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Cincinnati vs Central Florida pick.
Central Florida Knights Betting Preview
The Knights kicked off the 2025 campaign with a trio of wins. Those came versus Jacksonville State 17-10, North Carolina A&T 68-7 and North Carolina 34-9 in succession. Central Florida took their first loss on September 27 in a road matchup with Kansas State though, giving up 17 points in the second quarter along the way to a 34-20 defeat. The Knights had three turnovers in the loss alongside just 13 first downs, going 3-of-13 on third-down conversions overall.
In last weekend’s game versus Kansas, Central Florida held a 20-14 edge going into the second half. UCF didn’t score from there however, giving up 13 points in the third quarter along the way to a 27-20 defeat. QB Tayven Jackson was 14-of-23 for just 97 yards and Myles Montgomery carried 22 times for 110 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Duane Thomas caught five balls for 42 yards to lead the receivers in the defeat.
Cincinnati Bearcats Betting Preview
Over on the Bearcats’ side, they had a tricky opener matchup at home versus Nebraska and ended up falling 20-17 in a tough outcome. Cincinnati would rebound in game two versus Bowling Green with a 34-20 win, then took out Northwestern State 70-0 for the team’s biggest blowout win so far. Cincinnati was able to get past Kansas in a road game on September 27, taking the victory 37-34. Along the way the Bearcats posted nine penalties for 68 yards but also managed 603 total yards with 29 first downs and 7.4 yards per play in the win.
Matched up against Iowa State last Saturday, the Bearcats got to work immediately, scoring 17 unanswered points in the first quarter along the way to a 31-15 halftime edge. Cincinnati was outscored 15-7 from there but held on for the upset home win 38-30 in the end. QB Brendan Sorsby was 13-of-25 for 214 yards and two touchdowns. Tops in rushing was Evan Pryor with 10 carries for 111 yards and two scores, while Caleb Goodie added two catches for 83 yards and a score. Sorsby also had a rush TD among his nine totes for 64 yards.
UCF Knights @ Cincinnati Bearcats Betting Trends: Week 7
Cincinnati Bearcats Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 7, Evan Pryor ranks 2nd amongst qualified players for Yards Per Carry (9.1) this season.
UCF Knights Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 7, Jaden Nixon ranks 9th amongst FBS players for kick return yards (263) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Cincinnati ranks T1st among FBS teams for red zone percentage this season (100.0).
- Cincinnati ranks 135th among FBS teams for time of possession per game this season (24:55).
- UCF ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q1 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- UCF is one of two FBS teams to hold each of its opponents scoreless in the first quarter this season.
Cincinnati vs Central Florida Prediction
I’ll likely lean toward Cincinnati—so long as they can avoid the proverbial “big-win hangover,” that is. The Bearcats looked pretty darn good in their win over a talented Iowa State squad last weekend, bagging 474 yards of offense (260 rushing), 8.0 yards per play and 20 first downs. The only real gripes stem from a 4-of-11 success rate on third downs and 13 penalties for 128 yards (plus a lost fumble). On defense Cincinnati gave up 465 yards (314 passing) and 29 first downs but also held the Cyclones to just 4-of-17 on third-down tries. That makes four straight wins for the Bearcats, scoring 34 or more points in each of those outings. Cincinnati is pretty hot right now and feeling the groove after a couple of close victories.
As for Central Florida, they started out well enough versus Kansas but couldn’t do anything after halftime. The Knights would end up logging 375 yards (199 rushing) with 4.9 yards per play and 21 first downs while going just 4-of-16 on third downs. The defense gave up 356 yards, 6.1 yards per play, 15 first downs and 3-of-11 on third downs. The Knights have scored exactly 20 points in consecutive games now, and that total hasn’t been enough to win either of them. It’s not going to be easy putting up points against Cincinnati either.
