Central Florida -3 over Memphis – The UCF Knights remained perfect on the 2018 season with last week’s 38-10 road victory over rival South Florida.
But the eighth-ranked Knights (11-0) certainly suffered significant loss as standout quarterback McKenzie Milton sustained a potentially career-ending knee injury early in the second quarter.
Redshirt freshman Darriel Mack Jr., who started at quarterback for UCF against East Carolina earlier this season, is now the Knights’ starter.
At 6-3 and 230 pounds, Mack brings a physical running presence, but lacks polish as a passer as that component of UCF’s attack takes a major step backwards in Milton’s absence.
In the first meeting between the schools, UCF closed as a 5.5-point road favorite at Memphis. In Saturday’s American Athletic Conference championship game, the Knights are now a 3-point home favorite over the same Memphis (8-4) squad.
If Milton was healthy, the Knights would be favored by upwards of 10 points, possibly in the 11.5-to-12.5 point range.
Milton meant more to his team than about any individual player in the nation, but the linemaker’s response is simply too dramatic in my opinion.
Expect the Knights to bring their full measure of emotion to the field Saturday in their first game since Milton’s injury.
Take UCF and lay the 3 points.
Paul Stone has over two decades of experience as a bettor and handicapper. He is a winner of multiple Las Vegas handicapping contests and his work has appeared in various media outlets including the Las Vegas-Review Journal and ESPN Insider.
Follow Paul on Twitter@paulstonesports or e-mail him at Paulstonesports@gmail.com.
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