The UCF Knights open their first season as members of the Big 12 as they kick off the 2023 season at home against the Kent State Golden Flashes. The Knights enter 2023 off a 9-5 campaign which saw them fall in their final two games, the AAC Championship Game at Tulane and the Military Bowl vs. Duke. Kent State went 5-7 last season but lost head coach Sean Lewis to Colorado (as offensive coordinator) and welcome only four starters back from last year's team.

Kickoff at the FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Knights are 35.5-point favorites in the latest UCF vs. Kent State odds, per SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 54.5. 

Before making any Kent State vs. UCF picks or college football predictions, you NEED to see the predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen HUGE returns.

The model knows that UCF features a potent offense led by QB John Rhys Plumlee, which averaged 469.6 total yards per game (16th best in FBS). Last season, the Knights ranked 9th nationally in rushing yards, averaging 228.4 per contest. This will be the fourth conference they've played in, having moved from being Independent in 2002 to the MAC, Conference USA, and the American Athletic Conference.

The model also knows that Kent State is thin on experience under new coach Kenni Burns. The former Minnesota assistant head coach and running backs coach heads an offense that returns no starters, having lost several key pieces of last year's team to the transfer portal. It's highly likely that the Golden Flashes will improve upon their No. 128 ranking in time of possession from 2022, considering Burns comes from Minnesota which ranked 3rd in that category last season.

Now, the model has set its sights on UCF vs. Kent State. We can tell you it is leaning Over on the total, and it also says one side of the spread has ALL the value! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college football picks!

Who wins UCF vs. Kent State, and which side of the spread has ALL the value? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Kent State vs. UCF spread you should be all over on Thursday, all from the model that's up nearly $2,500 on top-rated CFB spread picks!