West Virginia vs. UCF Prediction: Can John Rhys Plumlee, UCF Bounce Back at Home Against Mountaineers?
West Virginia vs. UCF Prediction: Can John Rhys Plumlee, UCF Bounce Back at Home Against Mountaineers?
Central Florida hosts West Virginia in a Big 12 showdown from FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Florida, tomorrow with kickoff at 11:00 a.m. EST. UCF is coming off an electric game against Oklahoma that they nearly won as 17-point underdogs. UCF has not won a conference game yet this season and enters this game 0-4 in conference play. Can UCF bounce back and notch their first Big 12 win?
West Virginia vs. UCF Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date:Â October 28, 2023
- Game Time:Â 12:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: ESPN
West Virginia vs. UCF Prediction
West Virginia has opened their conference schedule with a 2-2 record, standing at 4-3 overall. The Mountaineers have dropped back-to-back games after a 4-1 start, losing to Houston 39-41 and Oklahoma State 34-48.
Quarterback Garrett Greene's junior year has been his best season so far. He has thrown for 1,184 yards in five games while throwing eight touchdowns to just two interceptions. He's also found yardage on the ground, amassing 349 rushing yards on 61 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. The ground game is the star of this offense, as the Mountaineers rank 5th in the nation with 5.9 yards per carry on the season.
UCF joined the Big 12 this season and went 3-0 to start this year, including a nice road win over Boise State and two easier wins. Then, UCF started their conference schedule, and they have gone 0-4 to start conference play to bring their season record to 3-4. However, they have played three tough conference opponents. They have traveled to Kansas State, Kansas, and Oklahoma, three tough road conference games.
On top of a tough record, UCF lost starting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee early in the season, as he only played two of the first six full games. Plumlee returned to action last week against Oklahoma, and the senior QB nearly pulled off the craziest upset of the week. UCF took No. 7 Oklahoma down to the wire and lost by just two, while Plumlee threw for 250 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers.
Plumlee is a senior this year, and is playing in his second season with UCF. Plumlee returning for UCF is big, and if they can do well to end the season, they will still make a bowl game. Plumlee threw for 2,586 yards and rushed for 862 yards in his first season with UCF last year, and he truly is one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the nation.
UCF has faced a much tougher schedule than West Virginia at this point in the season, and UCF was also playing without Plumlee for most of their losses. Plumlee coming back is massive for this offense, and he should look to use his legs more in this game. UCF is not great defensively, but they should be able to contain a West Virginia rushing offense that has faced weak defenses this year. At 3-4, UCF doesn't look like they should be touchdown favorites against anyone, but this is a perfect opportunity for them to notch their first Big 12 win with Plumlee back in action. I'm on UCF to win this one by more than a touchdown.
West Virginia vs. UCF Pick
Pick: UCF -7 (-104) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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Article Author
Ben Rajavuori is a handicapper out of Minneapolis, MN. He has been creating sports content for almost four years now and is an expert in all things NFL, MLB, NBA, UFC, and NCAAB. Ben thrives on diving deep into statistics to find the best angle on every bet. You can follow him on Twitter @WeBeatTheSpread.