Temple vs. UCF Picks, Predictions College Football Week 7: Knights to Bully Feeble Owls Offense

College football Week 7 picks and predictions Temple vs. UCF on October 13.

Last updated: October 13, 2022 6:34 AM EDT • 4 min read

An average of just 15.0 points per game on offense has been a major sticking point for the Temple Owls ahead of their visit to the UCF Knights on Thursday. Check out our top Temple-UCF picks below.

Temple visits UCF in one of two Thursday night college football games. The Owls stumble in at 2-3 off of a 24-3 loss to Memphis two weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Knights enter Week 7 at 4-1 following a 41-19 thrashing of SMU in last week's Wednesday night action.

Check out our top college football Week 7 picks.

Here are our Temple-UCF college football picks for Week 7 (odds via FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Temple vs. UCF Game Info

Date: Thursday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Location: FBC Mortgage Stadium, Orlando, FL
Weather: 80 degrees, 81% Precipitation, 1-mph winds

Temple vs. UCF Odds

Temple vs. UCF Odds Analysis

Central Florida opened as a 26-point favorite over Temple, but we’ve seen the number come down to -23.5 at both DraftKings and FanDuel. Meanwhile, 71% of the money wagered has gone toward the road underdog.

The total opened at 45.5 and has increased slightly to 46 at DraftKings and to 46.5 at FanDuel. The betting ticket split is near 50-50, but 75% of the money is on the Under in this match-up.

Temple vs. UCF Picks

Temple vs. UCF ATS Pick

UCF -23.5 (-105) ★★★

Temple is a terrible team in 2022, but you give the Owls consideration on the point spread because of their 3-2 record against the spread so far this season. The line movement toward Temple seems cognizant of that history. Despite the giant blimp flying overhead which reads ‘It’s a Trap!’ on both sides, I can’t imagine riding with an Owls offense that ranks 130th out of 131 FBS teams in offensive efficiency, per ESPN’s FPI.

Temple is averaging 11.3 points per game, tied for the worst mark in FBS. The Owls have accumulated these paltry totals without facing a single defense ranked inside the top 50 according to FPI. They’ve played nobody. And they’ve produced nothing.

Thursday, Temple faces the toughest defense it has seen all year in the UCF unit ranked 37th in FPI’s defensive efficiency. Though the Owls have a pretty efficient defense inside the top 40, UCF averages over 30 points per game and should get to that total on Thursday in a game where Temple’s futile offense could legitimately be shut out.

Temple vs. UCF O/U Pick

Under 46.5 (-114) ★★★★★

I don’t have any faith in Temple’s ability to contribute offensively to this total finding its way Over. One of the worst offenses in the country going up against a UCF defense that has allowed 15.8 points per game (11th in FBS) is simply not a story that ends well for the Owls.

The Under finds its legs even more favorably when you realize that the efficiency metrics for the UCF offense (47th in efficiency) against the Temple defense (39th in efficiency) actually does narrowly favor the Owls in this situation. Temple hasn’t faced many elite offenses, but its 17.5 points per game allowed to opponents is noteworthy.

The best offense Temple has faced this season was Duke. The Blue Devils took down the Owls, 30-0. The script for Thursday night feels as though it could be rather similar to that outcome.

Temple vs. UCF Prop Pick

Team total: Temple Under 11.5 (-130) ★★★

I’ve already outlined the argument above, but I find it difficult to argue in favor of Temple scoring above its season average on Thursday while facing the best defense it will have seen all season.

UCF has built its impressive scoring defense average (15.8 PPG) against mid-level offenses like SMU and Louisville. Though it has only held one FBS team below 11.5 points this season, UCF did it against a Georgia Tech offense that ranks 40 spots higher than Temple in the efficiency metrics.

This Temple attack will be the most feeble the Knights have faced all year. Barring a fluke touchdown on defense or special teams, a double-digit scoring output for the Owls would be a genuine surprise on Thursday night.

Where to Bet on Temple vs. UCF Picks

Temple-UCF picks made 10/12/2022 at 1 p.m. ET

Written By:
Brenden Schaeffer

Brenden has covered the St. Louis Cardinals as a credentialed baseball writer for KMOV-TV since 2016. His sports writing has appeared in outlets including the Austin American-Statesman and Columbia Daily Tribune. Since 2021, Brenden has co-hosted 'The Big Show' during the afternoon drive for KTGR, the ESPN radio affiliate in Columbia, MO. He has appeared on radio stations around the country, including KMOX, and hosts a daily St. Louis Cardinals podcast. In the sports betting content space, Brenden has covered the NFL, college football, NBA, and college basketball for outlets including SBR since 2019. For his football handicapping, Brenden looks to target NFL player prop markets as well as sharp underdog lines in college football. Brenden looks to reference FanDuel for his sports betting articles because of its consistently competitive odds on parlays. FanDuel's boost offerings are also customer-friendly, and its odds on the NFL Same Game Parlay articles he's written for SBR have historically been consistently competitive compared to other books.