2024 Central Florida football predictions: Ranked No. 54 by RJ Young

RJ Young

FOX Sports National College Football Analyst

Central Florida Knights ranking: 54/134

[Check out RJ Young’s ultimate 134 college football rankings here]

Conference ranking: 9th in Big 12 (+950 to win conference)
Teams ahead of them: Georgia Tech (53), Fresno State (52), Duke (51), Troy (50), UTSA (49)
Teams behind them: Texas State (55), Arizona State (56), Cincinnati (57), Virginia Tech (58), Western Kentucky (59)

[Central Florida 2024 schedule]

RJ’s take: The addition of former Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson should make Central Florida fans feel good for two reasons: 1. He adds another capable runner to a backfield that featured RJ Harvey, who rushed for 1,416 at 6.3 yards per rush last season. 2. Jefferson is the most physically gifted dual-threat QB Gus Malzahn has had since Cam Newton, and you damn well know what Malzahn was capable of with Cam Newton. Among them: Winning the bless-God-national-title at Auburn. Add to this, Rockets transfer Peny Boone will get carries too after rushing for more than 1,400 yards at Toledo last year, and you might not see too many passes from an offensive line that features 58 starts.

Now, identifying a player who will be as productive as Javon Baker was last year — Big 12’s leading receiver and only one over 1,000 yards not named Xavier Worthy — will be difficult, but not impossible.

UCF Win Total Odds: Over 7.5 (-125) Under 7.5 (+105)

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