BYU Football: 3 reasons the Cougars will beat UCF in Boca Raton Bowl

While UCF has one of the most explosive offenses in the country, BYU football is the better overall team. Here’s why the Cougars will win.

After what was a special year for BYU and head coach Kalani Sitake, the Cougars received an invite to the Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 22 and while it may not have seemed like an intriguing invite, a matchup with Group of Five powerhouse UCF will draw everyone’s attention.

No one could have expected BYU vs. UCF to be an early-bowl season matchup but fans were gifted with this after a long season filled with COVID-19 cancellations.

BYU enters Tuesday’s game with a 10-1 record while UCF is a disappointing 6-3 and feels like it should have been the best Group of Five team in the country. Both teams have elite quarterbacks and offenses.

But here’s why BYU will win.

3. UCF hasn’t played in a month

There’s something to be said about a team that gets a month off before a bowl game. Sometimes people think the extra rest is good, but I’m in the camp where it actually leaves a team rustier, especially in a shortened season such as this.

Central Florida hasn’t played a game since late-November and BYU just played about a week and a half ago. The advantage here is in the hands of BYU.

The Cougars also had the exact same amount of time to prepare for UCF as the Knights did for BYU. Getting a week to game plan isn’t going to help either squad but leave it on an even playing field.