Jacksonville State Gamecocks (0-0) vs. UCF Golden Knights (0-0)
August 28, 2025 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: UCF Golden Knights -18.5; Over/Under: 52.5
(Get latest betting odds)
UCF and Jacksonville State meet Thursday in college football action from FBC Mortgage Stadium. Here’s a UCF Knights vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best UCF vs Jacksonville State pick.
A rebuild for Jacksonville State
It appears that it’s going to be a rebuild for Jacksonville State, after so much success the last two years. After so much success last season. Rich Rodriguez returned to West Virginia. This was a very talented team last year, but they have lost so much talent, and new head coach Charles Kelly knows that he’s going to have his hands full. Last season was all about the running game, but this year it appears it will be a high-powered offense that will be key. Cade Cunningham and Gavin Wimsatt are battling for the starting job, and both could end up seeing action early in the season. The top wide receiver back is Michael Pettway, who finished last year with 25 catches.
On defense, they lost some talent, but they still have talent. Jawaun Campbell was a problem for opposing offenses last year, and he’s going to need to wreak havoc in the backfield again here. In the secondary, it won’t take long for Tre’quon Fegans to face his old team after coming over in the transfer portal this offseason.
Why Jacksonville State will beat UCF
- UCF has lost four of its last five games as a home favorite.
- Jacksonville State has won nine of its last 11 games.
- Jacksonville State has covered the spread in five of its last six games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
- UCF has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six games as a favorite.
Can UCF be Better?
Last season, UCF started off the season with three straight wins, but the rest of the season had only one win total. After such a disappointing season, UCF went back to the bag and brought back Scott Frost, who has already led this university to a ton of success. Just this week, Frost announced that Cam Fincher, the FAU transfer, will get the start in this game. Last season, he threw for 1,528 yards, six touchdowns, and six interceptions. The wide receiver room is also redone, and they are going to need to step up early.
On defense, they hope to be strong, and it’s going to be a lot of transfers that are leaned on. Malachi Lawrence and Nyjalik Kelly combined for 10.5 sacks last season, and they need to be spending a ton of time in the backfield in this game. In this game the hope for UCF is that they can jump out to a big lead, and they can get plenty of playing time for everyone. To find success this season, and make a bowl game, they are going to need to be a deep team.
Total Point Facts
- Seven of UCF’s last eight season openers as a favorite have gone OVER the total points line.
- Three of Jacksonville State’s last four games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone UNDER the total points line.
UCF vs Jacksonville State Prediction
Is UCF going to be better? Yes, they are, but to be honest, it’s not going to need to be many wins to make that happen. That being said, this team went through almost a complete rebuild in the transfer portal, especially on offense, and that is going to cause a slow start on that side of the ball. No matter who starts in this game under center for Jacksonville State, they are going to find a little bit of success against the UCF defense. Jacksonville State will keep it within a couple of touchdowns. Back Jacksonville State against the spread.
