The North Carolina State Wolfpack are set to take on the UCF Knights this Saturday, in what should be a pretty good non-conference matchup. The Wolfpack opened up the season with a 48-7 win over Western Carolina, while the Knights also looked good in their first game of the season, as they beat up on South Dakota 38-7. If you are looking to place a bet on this game, the current college football lines have the Knights as three-point favorites over the Wolfpack at home.

North Carolina State scored on seven consecutive scoring drives against Western Carolina, and got a monster performance out of quarterback Russell Wilson, who threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns on 21 of 31 passing. Wide out T.J. Graham finished the game with six catches for 96 yards and two scores. The Wolfpack added another 129 yards on the ground, as freshman Dean Hayes led the way with 69 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.

The defense also played well in this one, as they didn’t allow Western Carolina to score after allowing them an early touchdown pass in the first quarter. While the competition was no where near what they will face the rest of the season, it was a big confidence boost for a defense that allowed at least 30 points a game in eight straight last year.

Central Florida also got a pretty good game out of their starting quarterback as junior Rob Calabrese threw for 176 yards and a touchdown on 12 of 15 passing. Calabrese started the game on fire completing his first nine passes, and it was well needed for the junior who was in a pretty serious battle for his starting job this spring.

The Knights also got a strong performance out of running back Jonathan Davis, who carried the ball 20 times for 107 yards and a touchdown. South Dakota had no answer for wide receiver A.J. Guyton, as he hauled in eight passes for 127 yards and score for the Knights. Central Florida was solid on defense in the opener, but will have to play better if they plan on containing the Wolfpack this weekend.

 

Looking at the Odds: Even though I think Central Florida is a pretty good football team, they haven’t had much success against BCS schools since they moved up to the FBS level. The Knights are 0-9 when hosting a BCS school, so it really doesn’t look good for them this weekend. With that I think you have to take the Wolfpack and the three points in this one. I think the Knights will keep it close early, but I look for North Carolina State to run away with this one late, as my final score prediction is North Carolina State 27, UCF 23.

Ready to start making some serious cash betting on the college football games this season? Take the time to see what our expert college football handicappers have picked in their weekly college football picks.