Temple vs UCF Odds, Preview and Picks

• UCF is a 23.5-point home favorite over Temple on Thursday
• Temple has alternated wins and losses in its first five
• Read below for UCF vs Temple odds, spread and betting prediction

UCF (4-1, 1-0 American) is a 23.5-point home favorite against Temple in an AAC game at 7 pm ET Thursday on ESPN. UCF is one of three undefeated teams in the AAC, along with No. 21 Cincinnati (5-1, 2-0) and Tulane (5-1, 2-0).

Temple (2-3, 0-1) has not played since suffering a 24-3 loss to Memphis in its league opener  Oct. 1. The Owls rank in the top 20 in NCAA Division I in scoring defense and total defense.

Temple vs UCF Odds

Odds as of Oct 11 at Barstool. Claim the available Barstool Sportsbook promo code.

UCF is 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS in its last five against Temple, all as a favorite of at least 10 points. The only time the Knights won but did not cover was in a 38-13 victory in Orlando in 2020 as a 28.5-point favorite. The average margin of victory in the last five is 29.5 points.

UCF is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games, and the total has gone under in six of the Knights’ last seven. Temple is 0-5 SU and ATS in its last five road games. The total has gone under in four of the Owls’ last five games.

UCF’s Plumlee Is Well-Positioned

Ole Miss transfer John Rhys Plumlee, who began his career with the Rebels as a quarterback but played wide receiver in the last two seasons, threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-19 victory over SMU the last time out.

John Rhys Plumlee & his receivers lit up the SMU Defence 😤

⚔️ Plumlee: 20/29, 316 yds, 2 TD

⚔️ O’Keefe: 6 rec, 117 yds, 2 TD

⚔️ Baker: 6 rec, 138 yds, 23 YPR

UCF move on to go 4-1 💪 https://t.co/hAAjLzB3EA

— Redshirt Heisman (@TasteOfSport) October 7, 2022

Plumlee was a run-first quarterback in then-coach Rich Rodriguez’s spread option offense at Ole Miss in 2019, but he fits seamlessly in coach Gus Mahlzan’s multiple offenses. Plumlee has three 300-yard passing games and three 100-yard rushing games (including two 300/100 games) while accounting for 11 touchdowns against three interceptions.

UCF ranks No. 18 in NCAA Division I in total offense at 483 yards per game and are No. 4 in rushing offense at 253 yards per game as they have seen their stock rise in the AAC conference title odds. Plumlee leads the Knights with 431 yards in 80 carries.

🚨Group of Five Power Poll🚨@GroupOfFiveGuys ✖️@FunBeltPC ✖️@CollegeSportPod

1. @GoBearcatsFB
2. @CoastalFootball
3. @JMUFootball
4. @SouthAlabamaFB
5. @SanJoseStateFB
6. @UCF_Football
7. @UTSAFTBL
8. @GreenWaveFB
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— Group Of Five Guys (@GroupOfFiveGuys) October 10, 2022

The Knights’ only loss this season was 20-14 at home to Louisville, when Plumlee was ineffective when the Cardinals forced him to throw from the pocket. Louisville had 427 yards total offense and Plumlee was 16 of 34 for 131 yards and one interception.

Temple Struggles to Score

First-year coach Stan Drayton, a former associated head coach and run game coordinator at Texas offense, has among the lowest-functioning offenses in Division I, but the defense has kept the Owls in every game since a 30-0 loss at Duke in the season opener.

True freshman E.J. Warner, son of NFL Hall of Famer Kurt, took over for 2021 starter D’Wan Mathis in the second game of the season and has completed 56.4 percent of his passes for 806 yards and five touchdowns. The usual growing pains have led to six interceptions, three in the loss to Memphis.

EJ Warner airing it out! 50 yard TD pass to Adonicas Sanders
#TempleTUFF @elijah13warner @Dono_XII pic.twitter.com/YnbScYDTZX

— Temple Football (@Temple_FB) September 24, 2022

The Owls have given up only 54 points in their last four games, including a 28-0 shutout of UMass on Sept. 24. They rank No. 12 in Division in total defense at 280.2 yards per game and are 20th in scoring defense. Offense is another story — 126th in scoring (15 points per game) and 125th in total offense (282.8). The Owls average 4.0 sacks per game, tied with USC for the Division I lead.

Temple and UCF Well-Rested

Both teams enter the game after an extended layoff — Temple lost at Memphis 24-3 on Oct. 1 and UCF stopped first-division contender SMU 41-19 in Orlando on Oct. 5, a game pushed back three days because of Hurricane Ian.

A PICK SIX WITH STYLE POINTS 😎

A one-handed interception and TD by @Temple_FBs Layton Jordan! #AmericanFB x #TempleTUFF pic.twitter.com/PucEMDhWkg

— American Football (@American_FB) September 24, 2022

The Owls are 4-1 SU and ATS after a bye. UCF is 3-2 SU and 1-4 ATS in its last five after a bye, a number that includes the SMU game delayed by weather this season.

UCF vs Temple Prediction

This is a trap game if there ever was one for UCF. The Knights are coming off a decisive victory over SMU and will play at East Carolina next week before a home showdown against No. 21 Cincinnati on Oct. 29. Temple can play enough defense to keep the game within the number.

The pick: Temple +23.5 (-114)

Last week: 2-4 ATS. Season: 20-19 ATS