FAU vs. No. 16 UCF may not have the national appeal many are looking for on a Friday night, but the matchup sure does bring some intrigue to Group of 5 teams around the country. The Owls have proven to be a force with Lane Kiffin at the helm while the Knights own the nation's longest winning streak heading into what could be a crucial game for their own New Year's Six bowl chances.
Friday night's game in front of a national television audience could provide both teams the opportunity to impress some voters should they continue to make a run the rest of the season.
Viewing information
Date: Friday, Sept. 21 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Spectrum Stadium -- Orlando, Florida
TV: ESPN | Live stream: WatchESPN
Storylines
UCF: The Knights are the highest-ranked Group of Five team in the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll after Boise State's loss at Oklahoma State. While this factoid will only matter once the selection committee begins ranking teams, what UCF is fighting for is noteworthy. It's doing so without an overly difficult schedule, too. In fact, you could make the argument that one of its three most important games is against FAU. Schedule strength doesn't dictate how good a team is, but it can matter in New Year's Six bowl placement. There's little room for error.
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FAU: Kiffin is a smart coach and a media darling, and the Owls won 10 straight games to end last season. However, FAU started slow last year by going 1-3 and getting their clocks cleaned by Navy and Wisconsin. Only when they got into conference play did things heat up. FAU was already outclassed by Oklahoma, but can Kiffin rebound to give this program its first notable nonconference win in a while?
Game prediction, picks
When you remove Oklahoma from the equation, FAU's defense is statistically more serviceable (5.77 yards per play allowed, 27 points per game allowed). That'll be tested against UCF. The Knights have firepower, too, though the efficiency of their offense has come against far lesser competition. Vegas expects a bevy of points (the over/under is at 73.5) and I suspect UCF gets a lion's share of them. Pick: UCF -14.5
