Bowl season continues as the UCF Knights meet up with the Duke Blue Devils for the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Maryland! With that being said, let's check out our college football odds series where our UCF-Duke prediction and pick will be made.

Concluding their season with a 9-4 season under former Auburn head coach Gus Malzhan in his second full season at the helm, the Knights have become one of the more respected college football programs in America over the course of the past decade. Having not played since a Dec. 3rd loss versus Tulane who happens to be playing the Cotton Bowl. Can UCF shake off the rust and finish off the season on the right note?

For many decades now, Duke has been considered a blue-blood basketball school that has struggled to translate that kind of success to the gridiron. However, the Blue Devils are trying to change that narrative as they have clinched bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018 with an 8-4 record overall. With only two seasons with at least eight wins since 1953, this season has been a true success whether they win or lose on Wednesday.

Here are the UCF-Duke college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

Military Bowl Odds: UCF-Duke Odds

UCF Knights: +3.5 (-115)

Duke Blue Devils: -3.5 (-105)

Over: 62.5 (-105)

Under: 62.5 (-115)

Why UCF Could Cover The Spread

Coming into this one, the Knights will be playing in a bowl game for the sixth consecutive year and have transformed themselves into a well-respected school in the recruiting hotbed of Florida. While keeping recruits in-state is a challenge within itself, UCF has done a tremendous job nevertheless. In fact, this matchup versus Duke will serve as the final game in which UCF will be a part of the American Athletic Conference as they will be jumping ship to the Big 12 next year.

When it comes to finding a way to cover the spread in a bowl game that gives respect to America's armed forces, the biggest thing to be on the lookout for is which Knights will be suiting up for action. With a slew of playmakers sitting out due to transferring elsewhere and also will be without their defensive coordinator in Travis Williams after he left to take a position at Arkansas.

Regardless, Central Florida should be just fine as they boast the seventh-best rushing attack in all of the nation. In their 13 games played, the Knights averaged a stupendous 236 rushing yards per game and often punish opposing defenses due to their physical nature out on the field. On paper, Duke has been rather stingy against the run this season, but they will be squaring off with a whole different beast in UCF. Expect the three-headed monster in QB John Rhys Plumlee and tailbacks, Isaiah Bowser, to total up 25 touchdowns on the ground. The elusive and dual-threat nature of Plumlee could prove to be a thorn in Duke's side if the Knights use him properly.

Why Duke Could Cover The Spread

It certainly doesn't come often, but the Duke Blue Devils are going bowling! Believe it or not, the Blue Devils have managed to play in postseason games six separate times since 2012 and are trying to gain some newfound traction under first-year head coach Mike Elko. A year ago, Elko was Texas A&M's defensive coordinator before dipping his toes in the head-coaching pool and finally taking his talents to Durham. Obviously, Duke has not always been an easy place to win at, but Elko is so far proving that narrative to be wrong.

At first glance, the strengths of this Duke Blue Devils football team have been their stellar balance on the offensive side of the football. While they may not accumulate as much yardage as UCF on paper, they do possess the ability to air out the football but also pound the rock if need be. The key to covering the spread in this one is to not become overly dependent on either. Yes, this may change if Duke falls behind early, but sticking to the script will be of utmost importance.

Outside of keeping the Knights guessing, proving to be even more vital will be the Blue Devils' ability to play some defense. Statistically, Duke has been no slouches in preventing other teams from moving the ball, but UCF isn't your typical middle-of-the-pack squad. In their previous game dating back nearly a month ago that resulted in a 34-31 win over Wake Forest, Duke did give up 453 yards of total offense, so they will need to tighten the screws to come away as Military Bowl champs.

Final UCF-Duke Prediction & Pick

Simply put, UCF is missing some critical players in this one and could be overlooking Duke. Not to mention, but the Blue Devils may want this one a little more compared to the Knights who could be playing in a New Year's Six Game if they hadn't lost to Tulane. To put a pretty bow on this one, side with Duke to cover in impressive fashion.

Final UCF-Duke Prediction & Pick: Duke -3.5 (-105)