The BYU Cougars will look to clinch their spot in the Big 12 championship game when they host the UCF Knights on Saturday afternoon.
This is a must-win game for the Cougars against the overmatched Knights, and I’m taking the home team to cover in my UCF vs. BYU predictions.
Read on to see my full breakdown of this critical Big 12 matchup in my free college football picks for Saturday, November 29.
UCF vs BYU prediction
UCF vs BYU best bet: BYU -17.5 (-110)
The BYU Cougars haven't made a habit of blowing out teams last year, but they have shown the potential to do at home, as it did last week in a 44-13 win over the TCU Horned Frogs.
The Cougars have every opportunity to repeat that performance against the UCF Knights, which comes in having lost six of its last seven and failing to be competitive against top tier conference competition.
In the last three weeks, the Knights have lost to the Baylor Bears by 27 points and the Texas Tech Red Raiders by 39. Critically, both of these games came on the road, where UCF is 0-4 straight up and 1-3 ATS on the year.
Even if they wanted to try and keep this one close, there’s a serious matchup issue for the Knights here. Teams have run the ball at will against the UCF defense, which is allowing 158.6 yards per game on the ground and 4.1 yards per rush.
That’s a problem against the run-first offense of BYU, as the Cougars average five yards per running attempt. They can also wear down defenses with multiple big play threats on the ground, including both running back LJ Martin and quarterback Bear Bachmeier.
At home, with a championship game appearance potentially on the line, and against a team they should be able to steamroll on offense, BYU shouldn’t allow this to be a close game for very long. I’m taking the Cougars to cover.
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UCF vs BYU same-game parlay
I have trouble imagining the UCF defense doing much to slow down the Cougars in this game, which has me targeting the Over at a reasonable number.
I’m also looking for two stars to perform well for BYU: I like LJ Martin to hit his rushing total after a 222-yard performance last week, and I’m taking quarterback Bear Bachmeier to throw at least two touchdowns as well.
UCF vs BYU SGP
- BYU -17.5
- Over 47.5
- LJ Martin Over 98.5 rushing yards
- Bear Bachmeier Over 1.5 passing TDs
Our deep-ball SGP: Cougars frustrate Jackson
Tayven Jackson has been held without a passing touchdown five times already this year, and may struggle against a BYU defense allowing just 17.8 ppg on the year.
UCF vs BYU SGP
- BYU -17.5
- Over 47.5
- LJ Martin Over 98.5 rushing yards
- Bear Bachmeier Over 1.5 passing TDs
- Tayven Jackson Under 0.5 passing TDs
UCF vs BYU odds
- Spread: UCF +17.5 (-110) | BYU -17.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: UCF +750 | BYU -1200
- Over/Under: Over 47.5 (-110) | Under 47.5 (-110)
UCF vs BYU trend to know
BYU is 4-1 ATS in its last five games overall. Find more college football betting trends for UCF vs BYU.
How to watch UCF vs BYU
| Location | LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT |
| Date | Saturday, November 29, 2025 |
| Kickoff | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN2 |
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