Week One of the college football season is here. UCF plays New Hampshire, and Heartland College Sports has your game prediction, preview, and betting odds ahead of the matchup.
GAME INFO
Thursday, August 29; 6:00 p.m. (CT); FBC Mortgage Stadium; Orlando, Florida
TV: ESPN+
Line: UCF -41.5 and 63.5 O/U
Records: (2023) UCF 6-7, New Hampshire 6-5
Last Week: N/A
Series History: Teams meeting for the first time
Last Meeting: N/A
Fun Fact: The UCF Knights make their debut in 2024 after being the lone Big 12 expansion team in 2023 to make a bowl game.
KEY PLAYERS
NEW HAMPSHIRE WILDCATS
WR LOGAN TOMLINSON
While the Wildcats lost their best offensive weapon from the previous season to the NFL in senior running back Dylan Laube, they retained a big name at the wide receiver position. The team’s second-leading receiver, senior wideout Logan Tomlinson, is back again, suiting up for the Wildcats in 2024. Last season at New Hampshire, he trailed Laube by 83 receiving yards with 42 grabs for 616 yards and seven scores through the air.
LB RYAN TOSCANO
On defense, New Hampshire brought back their leading tackler from the previous season. Senior linebacker Ryan Toscano posted 61 total tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and two pass breakups last year as the leader of the Wildcats defense. With names on the UCF offense like KJ Jefferson, RJ Harvey, Peny Boone, Johnny Richardson, and Kobe Hudson, Toscano will have to be an active sideline-to-sideline to help slow down the Knights’ impressive unit.
UCF KNIGHTS
QB KJ JEFFERSON
Thursday marks the debut of UCF’s new quarterback, KJ Jefferson. The veteran quarterback has spent the last five seasons at Arkansas and emerged as one of the nation’s most talented dual-threat signal callers. Last season with the Razorbacks, Jefferson had 2,107 passing yards with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 19-8. He also added two scores and nearly 500 rushing yards on the ground.
DE NYJALIK KELLY
One of the biggest names to enter the transfer portal this offseason, former Miami defensive lineman Nyjalik Kelly, elected to transfer to UCF. Coming out of high school, Kelly was listed as a four-star, top-100 prospect in the Class of 2022. During two seasons at Miami, Kelly recorded 19 total tackles, four sacks, and one pass breakup. His debut for UCF will be one of the biggest things to watch in this game.
KEY STORYLINES
NEW HAMPSHIRE WILDCATS
Can New Hampshire keep it close? When a spread reaches upwards of 40 points… it’s pretty safe to say how the public feels about the matchup. On paper, UCF enters the game with one of the Big 12’s premier offenses and a group capable of earning praise among the nation’s best. Can the Wildcats slow things down, take care of the football, and manage the clock effectively? If so, the score could be a lot closer than what the spread appears suggests.
UCF KNIGHTS
Can Gus Malzahn put the talent together? While it’s no secret that UCF head coach Gus Malzahn has been an incredible recruiter in Orlando, the Knights struggled in their first season in the Big 12, going 6-7, following two nine-win campaigns in the AAC. With a veteran quarterback, incredible offensive weapons, and a defense that added and retained some big-time names in the transfer portal, there is no excuse for UCF to not get off to a red-hot start this season, especially given the weaker competition.
PREDICTION: UCF 59, NEW HAMPSHIRE 17
UCF has a scary offense that might end up being tops in the Big 12. They have enough talent to make a deep run in the conference and could be a surprise team when all is said and done. In 2023, the Knights went 3-0 in non-conference play and won their games by a total of 122-36 (Kent State, Boise State and Villanova). The Knights will get off to a hot start in 2024 with a dominant win over the Wildcats in Week 1.
