The No. 23 UCF Knights (9-3, 6-2 AAC) and No. 20 Tulane Green Wave (10-2, 7-1) meet for the American Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday.' Kickoff at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET (ABC). Below, we look at UCF vs. Tulane'from Tipico Sportsbook; check back for all our college football picks and predictions.
UCF scuffled against South Florida last Saturday, but the Knights beat the underdog Bulls (+19.5) 46-39 on a TD scored in the final minute of play. Central Florida, No. 22 in the College Football Playoff rankings, is 4-1 in its last 5 games, and that stretch includes a 38-31 win at Tulane Nov. 12. The 1-point-underdog Knights jumped out to a 24-7 lead in that game and finished plus-2 in turnovers while outgaining the Green Wave 468 yards to 391.
The Green Wave, tabbed 19th by the CFP committee, beat No. 21 Cincinnati 27-24 Saturday. Tulane was favored by 1 point in a game that saw the 2 sides equally divvy up points in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters. RB Tyjae Spears had 181 rushing yards and 2 TDs against the Bearcats. Spears has rushed for 120-plus yards in 6 straight games and has 1,177 rushing yards this season.