UCF Knights vs Cincinnati Bearcats: Staff predictions, picks for Big 12 football matchup

Saturday won’t be a first for UCF .

The Knights have plenty of those on the calendar. Prior to 2024, they had never played seven of the 12 teams on their regular-season schedule.

But this will be the opposite.

Cincinnati , their most familiar opponent this year, visits Orlando for a 3:30 p.m. Saturday kickoff at the Bounce House . Both squads hold 3-2 records and sit at 1-1 in the Big 12 Conference.

The two teams have met nine previous times, with eight of those battles coming as the premier programs in the American Athletic Conference. UCF carries a 5-4 all-time series lead. It earned its first Big 12 win over the Bearcats last November.

As of Thursday morning , BetMGM listed the Knights as 3-point favorites.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s panel went 3-0 last week , with UCF reporter Chris Boyle, sports reporter Chris Vinel and columnist Ken Willis all picking Florida over the Knights . They give their Week 7 predictions below.

Their records so far:

• Boyle: 4-1
• Vinel: 3-2
• Willis: 3-2

Chris Boyle: UCF 30, Cincinnati 21

For the second year in a row, UCF is desperate for a victory with Cincinnati next on the schedule. In 2023, the Knights snapped a five-game overall skid and notched their first Big 12 win at Nippert Stadium while condemning the rival Bearcats to the basement in the league's standings.

Brendan Sorsby is a significant upgrade behind center for Cincinnati, spreading 12 touchdown passes to six different receivers. The Bearcats rush for 183.8 yards per game with Corey Kiner totaling a team-high 413 yards and Evan Pryor averaging 10.4 yards per carry, a figure which would rank No. 2 in the country behind Boise State's Ashton Jeanty if he met the minimum number of attempts.

RJ Harvey has gashed the Bearcats for 248 rushing yards and five touchdowns in two previous meetings. Deshawn Pace, the Knights' defensive leader with 27 tackles and two interceptions, will also surely have a point to prove against his former team.

Chris Vinel: Cincinnati 34, UCF 31

Four of the last five meetings between UCF and Cincinnati have been decided by four points or fewer. Last year, the Knights won 28-26. This one should be another close one. It's what these teams do.

If this contest was played three weeks ago, UCF would've been the pick. But the Knights have encountered a vibes crisis since then due to multiple opt-outs and losses to Colorado and Big Brother Florida. Cincinnati possesses enough firepower to rack up points on a Knights defense that has surrendered an average of 41 points in Big 12 play. Their offense also has slowed down since launching a 21-point comeback at TCU.

Ken Willis: Cincinnati 38, UCF 16

Cincy's two losses were to two teams (Pitt and Texas Tech) that are a combined 10-1, and it lost those two games by a total of four points. Also, the Bearcats run it well and pass it well, while the Knights are doing neither right now.

Throw in some bad vibes that may be building, along with some rattling from the innards of the Gus Bus, and — maybe I'm wrong — but this smells like something going bad. I really think this week will make the difference between maybe putting together a respectable season and an all-out sell-off.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights vs Cincinnati Bearcats: Staff predictions, picks for Big 12 football matchup