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LSU vs. Central Florida: Fiesta Bowl preview and predictions

nick bromberg
College football and motorsports writer

LSU (9-3) vs. Central Florida (12-0)

Location: Phoenix | When: Jan. 1 (1 p.m. ET) | TV: ESPN | Line: LSU -7.5

HOW THESE TEAMS GOT HERE

LSU: The Tigers were the darlings of the country early after beating Miami in Week 1. If only we knew the Hurricanes were not that good. LSU then beat Auburn on the way to a 5-0 start before losing at Florida. The Tigers rebounded with a win at home over Georgia and beat Mississippi State the next week. Alabama then thumped LSU 29-0 on Nov. 3 and the Tigers won two games before losing a ridiculous 74-72 game against Texas A&M in seven overtimes.

Darriel Mack Jr. scored six times against Memphis. (AP)
Darriel Mack Jr. scored six times against Memphis. (AP)

UCF: All they do is win, win, win. The Knights beat Memphis twice, knocked off Pitt, took care of Temple, routed Cincinnati and beat South Florida on the way to an 11-0 regular season. For the second-straight season a game was canceled by hurricane and this time it was against North Carolina after a Georgia Tech matchup was canceled in 2017. QB McKenzie Milton was fantastic again but suffered a gruesome knee injury vs. South Florida. He’s in Phoenix with the team for the game.

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH

To see if UCF’s 25-game winning streak stays intact. To see if UCF can beat an SEC team for the second-straight season. To see if LSU’s ferocious defense can contain UCF’s offense. To help wash away the hangover you might have unwisely gotten from drinking too much on Monday night.

LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (22) is the team’s second-leading rusher. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman)
LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (22) is the team’s second-leading rusher. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman)

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, LSU: Edwards-Helaire is LSU’s second-leading rusher and leads the team among the three players who primarily carry the ball with 4.6 yards a carry. Edwards-Helaire and linebacker Jared Small were involved in a shooting on Dec. 22 when one of them allegedly shot and killed a man allegedly attempting to rob them. Neither player has been arrested and the Baton Rouge district attorney said earlier in the week that the shooting looks to be justifiable. Coach Ed Orgeron said Thursday that both players would play in the game less than two weeks after the tragedy. It’ll be fascinating to see how Edwards-Helaire is used against the Knights, though given the circumstances, football is clearly secondary.

Darriel Mack, Jr., QB, UCF: Mack has thrown for 522 yards and two touchdowns since replacing Milton in that South Florida game. The Knights had fumble issues in the first half against Memphis but recovered from those nicely and blitzed the Tigers in the second half of the AAC title game. Mack has been a potent rushing threat when he’s played too. He rushed for 120 yards against East Carolina when Milton was out because of an ankle injury and rushed for four scores on 18 carries for 59 yards against Memphis on Dec. 1. LSU will have to keep him in the pocket.

WHAT’S ON THE LINE

LSU: This is the Tigers’ first Fiesta Bowl appearance. LSU is looking for its first major bowl win since a Cotton Bowl win after the 2010 season.

UCF: The nation’s longest winning streak extends to 26 games with a win and it would be a second-straight victory over an SEC opponent in a bowl game. UCF beat Auburn in last year’s Peach Bowl.

PREDICTIONS

Nick Bromberg: UCF 34, LSU 27
Sam Cooper: LSU 30, UCF 27
Pat Forde: LSU 28, UCF 24

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

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