Game 1: South Carolina State Bulldogs

SCST is pretty successful Div-1AA HBCU football school. Last season the Bulldogs went 7-4 in the MEAC play. SCST has a good sized fan base that travels and is a bit rowdy, as most HBCU’s do. However, no matter how many fans S.C. State brings, it won’t be enough as the Knights should win this game by at least 21 points (if not more). This will be an excellent game for the Knights to get the rust out with.

The way to early prediction: S.C. State 10 – UCF 56

Game 2: University of South Florida Bulls

Well, I have to say that I have a love/hate relationship with this game being so early in the season (I think it should be later). It could be a good thing, or it could be a bad thing. Either way the Bulls finally come to OUR stadium so we shall see how much of an advantage we can create there. I have to be honest when it comes to USF, most pre-season outlooks have the Bulls being a real dark horse team possibly winning the Big East or even playing in a major January BCS bowl game. The key to beating the Bulls is stopping QB Matt Grothe on offense and slowing George Selvie on D. That’s it. If UCF wants to make a statement, we need to beat USF convincingly on this last meeting. Even though the series record will be in favor of USF, UCF can have the last word. My gut tells me that we are going to lose this game, but in the efforts to being an optimist I will give the early prediction to UCF.

The way to early prediction: USF 38 - UCF 42 (in OT)

Game 3: @ Boston College Eagles

Can BC be as good as last year? Even without Matt Ryan at the helm? This picture may become clearer the closer we get to this game as BC opens up against Kent St. followed by Georgia Tech. BC will not be in the running for the ACC title this year as they only returned 4 starters on D and 6 on O. The Eagles will be a great team to play and I think UCF has what it takes to edge these guys out in Chestnut Hill. If UCF can win this game on the road it will turn heads, guaranteed.

The way to early prediction: UCF 24 – BC 21

Game 4: @ University of Texas-El Paso Miners

The Miners went 4-8 last season and were out gained in 9 out of 12 games offensively. In reality, there wasn’t much to celebrate in El Paso. I expect UTEP to step it up a notch this year. Returning starters at QB (Vittatoe), RB (Jackson), and WR (Moturi) will lead the team and an improved defense should be available. This will be an exciting game to watch with a lot of back and forth action.

The way to early prediction: UCF 31 – UTEP 24

Game 5: Southern Methodist University Mustangs

Is anyone else is scared that June Jones is now coaching at SMU? I am. This is the same June Jones that took in a 0-12 Hawaii team in 1999 and turned them into BCS contenders over the past few years. (Yeah, yeah, I know a lot of people will say “Who did Hawaii play” or “What conference are they in?” but still going from 0-12 to 9-4 the following year, then to a BCS game a little down the road is still impressive). I really doubt SMU will repeat their 1-11 from last season. If they aren’t a contender for the C-USA West this season, expect them to be next season for sure. SMU will be the most improved team in the whole conference. Who knows, perhaps Jones will return SMU to greatness like they use to be back in the days before they were handed the Death Penalty by the NCAA.

The way to early prediction: SMU 35 – UCF 42

Game 6: @ University of Miami Hurricanes

Miami may limp out of the gate at first simply because the Hurricanes will only return 11 starters from last season. Another blow is that their top three QB’s have ZERO game experience. Lastly, Miami didn’t fare too well in respects to their schedule – Charleston Southern, @ Florida (a team which most expect will debut as #1 or 2 in the pre-season polls), @ Texas A&M, North Carolina, and FSU – that is just plain brutal scheduling. Despite those negatives, Miami did benefit from stellar recruiting and should be able to bounce back a little this season. This also marks the first meeting of the two teams, and the first season Miami will be playing in their new home, Dolphin Stadium. This is another game that if UCF can win on the road will turn heads. I am going to blunt and say this now – I think this may be UCF’s only shot to beat Miami, because I only see the Canes’ becoming a better team over the next few seasons.

The way to early prediction: Miami 28 – UCF 21

Game 7 - @ Tulsa Golden Hurricane

“Never underestimate the opponent.” This should be the mantra for UCF as they travel to Oklahoma to play the Golden Hurricane. Tulsa has already been unanimously chosen by the C-USA Coaches to win the West this season. The golden arm of Paul Smith is gone, but new QB David Johnson will have some of the pressure taken off him thanks to having a great core of WR’s, RB’s, and O-linesmen. The defense will not be as good as last season thanks to only 5 defensive starters returning. UCF is Tulsa’s toughest opponent in conference play this season, and they will be out to avenge the conference championship loss from last season. I expect Tulsa to win the West division hands down, but I expect UCF to win this game.

The way to early prediction: UCF 41 – Tulsa 28

Game 8 - East Carolina University Pirates (Sunday Game)

The Pirates will be tough this season as they always have been. UCF gave last season’s game away to them with some seriously terrible second half game play. ECU may have lost the speed of Chris Johnson to the draft, but still retains 16 starters, 2 of which are veteran QB’s. Last season, ECU really profited from opponents turning the ball over (17 TO’s recovered last season, 3 of which were from UCF), and scored on almost every one of them. With USM probably taking a downturn this season, ECU will be the only team to worry about for the title shot in the East. This will be a MUST WIN for the Knights.

The way to early prediction: ECU 31 – UCF 38

Game 9 – University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles

As everyone knows USM fired long time head coach Jeff Bower after 29 years. Was it a good decision? Who knows? All I know is that the Golden Eagle’s streak of 14 straight seasons of winning football will probably come to a halt this season. USM returns only 10 starters and has lost 22 lettermen, a number that may increase after the summer. So, the equation looks like this: New Head Coach + Inexperienced players = a losing team. If this team can construct a win this season it will be because of RB Damion Fletcher’s ability to run the ball.

The way to early prediction: USM 21 – UCF 42

Game 10: @ Marshall University Thundering Herd

Marshall is a loaded team, especially since 2006 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year Albert McClellan will be back on the field after recovering from his nasty ACL injury. Head Coach Mark Snyder is finally starting to make some inroads in regards to building this team the way he wanted to. I am pretty sure that Marshall’s defensive unit will be one of the best in the C-USA this season. With that being said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Marshall make a bowl game or even challenge for the C-USA East title. I think that most UCF fans feel that Marshall is our whipping mule so to speak, and for the most part they have been in the past three years, but we should be cautious about the Herd this season. Quick Fact: Did you know Marshall’s head coach Mark Snyder was UCF’s Linebacker coach in the 1989-1990 seasons.

The way to early prediction: Marshall 14 – UCF 24

Game 11: @ University of Memphis Tigers

To be honest, I don’t really know how to rate Memphis this season. When I look at everything they offer I see a great team, but sometimes what looks nice on paper doesn’t often translate to well on the field. Memphis went 7-6 last season, with UCF outgunning the Tigers with 601 yards of total offense to their late gained 303 yards (It felt good being up 49-0 going into the half). UCF currently owns the series at 3-1. Coach Tommy West has the talent to be a contender, but for some reason it just hasn’t been showing up at the right time.

The way to early prediction: UCF 42 – Memphis 24

Game 12: University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers

Last season, Neil Callaway’s team was outgained an average of 188.1 yards per game and went a dismal 2-10. UAB is still in the transition/rebuilding phase, but should be in a little better shape than they were last season. UCF holds this series 5-0, and has outscored UAB 162-94. In short, the Blazers will lose this game unless a miracle occurs (which I doubt).

The way to early prediction: UAB 7 – UCF 42