UCF vs. Kansas Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 6
By Josh Yourish
Over the past two weeks, the UCF Knights have had a rude awakening in their introduction to the Big 12.
They’ve suffered back-to-back losses to Kansas State and then Baylor 36-35 in Week 5. The Knights blew a 35-7 lead allowing 29-unanswered points. Now, they’re right back into the fire with a 4-1 Kansas Jayhawks team.
Kansas is coming off a 40-14 loss to Texas last week, but that came without its starting quarterback, Jalon Daniels.
Daniels was out with a back injury and he is currently day-to-day according to Lance Leipold. The Jayhawks might need Daniels to win this Week 6 Big 10 matchup.
For a more expansive look around the college football world in Week 6, check out BetSided college football betting expert Reed Wallach’s weekly column and preview.
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UCF vs. Kansas Odds, Spread and Total
Kansas vs. UCF Betting Trends
- Kansas is 2-3 ATS
- The UNDER is 2-2-1 in Kansas games
- UCF is 2-3 ATS
- The OVER is 4-1 in UCF games
UCF vs. Kansas How to Watch
- Date: Saturday, October 7
- Time: 4:00 PM EST
- Venue: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium
- How to Watch (TV): ESPN
- UCF Record: 3-2
- Kansas Record: 4-1
UCF vs. Kansas Key Players to Watch
UCF
Johnny Richardson, RB: UCF nearly pulled off a heroic comeback in Week 5 against Baylor, but that’s only because it blew a big lead. A lead that was given to them on their first offensive play as Johnny Richardson went untouched for a 79-yard touchdown. The 5-foot-7 speedster finished the game with 105 yards and a score on just six carries. He leads UCF with 394 rushing yards and is averaging 8.8 per carry.
Kansas
Jason Bean, QB: Jalon Daniels wasn’t able to go last week and that meant Jason Bean made his second start of the season after starting five games last year. Bean went 9-for-21 passing for just 136 yards and a touchdown. The Jayhawks are hoping Bean doesn’t have to play this week.
UCF vs. Kansas Prediction and Pick
UCF might have blown a massive lead last week, but its offense did its part. They didn’t score in the fourth quarter, but for the game the offense managed to gain 7.7 yards per play which is right in line with their season average which ranks seventh in the country.
Timmy McClain, UCF’s quarterback, is averaging 10.6 yards per attempt and the Knights are ninth in the country averaging 15.8 yards per completion.
Defensively, Kansas ranks 87th in yards per play, so UCF will be able to move the ball again this week, it just boils down to if the Jayhawks can match the UCF offense. A lot of my trust in that unit relies on the health of Jalon Daniels, but they still gained 5.7 yards per play against Texas last week with Jason Bean.
No matter who is quarterback, the Jayhawks will be able to run on the Knights.
The UCF defense actually ranks higher than the Kansas unit, at 56th with 5.3 yards per play allowed. However, UCF is weak against the run, 93rd, and Kansas is 24th in rushing yards per game. The Jayhawks are 14th in yards per rush at 5.5 and UCF gives up 4.2 yards per rush which is 81st.
We learned something last week; UCF isn’t quite built for a Power 5 conference yet.
It lacks the depth to compete for a full four quarter game against Big 12 teams. That will only get exposed more and more as the rigors of a power conference schedule beat them down.
Kansas will rely on the run game and will win and cover as a home favorite. Since the start of last year, the Jayhawks are 5-2 ATS when favored.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change