UCF HC Guz Malzahn Calls Oklahoma State 'Hottest Team in the Country' Ahead of Matchup

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are the No. 15 team in the nation as they ride a five-game winning streak into their matchup against UCF on Saturday.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys hit the road after a big Bedlam win to take on UCF at their home field. The Cowboys, as mentioned, are coming off a big win, which happened to be their fifth in a row.

On the other hand, they're taking on a UCF team that is coming off their first conference win since joining the Big 12. The Knights defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats in a tightly-contested matchup.

A few weeks back, the Knights played the Oklahoma Sooners incredibly close, proving they're capable of playing some high-level football.

Still, the Cowboys are absolutely rolling into this one. They've had five big wins in a row, three of them against currently ranked opponents, and are the No. 15 team in the nation because of it.

UCF head coach Gus Malzahn understands what challenge they're facing as they host the Cowboys on Saturday.

“This happens to be the No. 15 team in the country, probably the hottest team in the country right now,” Malzahn said. “If you look and see at where they’ve improved on an gotten better, they kinda know who they are now. You can tell early in the year, they were trying to figure — now they know. They’re gonna give it to that big dude, and he can run it downhill. Fourth quarter, he imposes his will on people. We gotta do a good job at gang tackling."

This is absolutely the case. Ollie Gordon has been a closer for the Cowboys during the win streak. If they have a small lead, he'll expand on that lead with some huge plays and find his way into the end zone.

Still, it hasn't been a secret how good Gordon has been. It's now been over a month and a half since his emergence. Oklahoma knew it was coming, yet stopping it remained difficult. And, in all fairness, the Sooners did an alright job, which led to Gordon *only* having 137 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 33 carries. 

The Knights are going to swing some hefty punches at the Cowboys, and Oklahoma State has to be ready for it as they control their own destiny for the Big 12 Conference Championship game.

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READ MORE: All Pokes Staff Score Predictions: Oklahoma State at UCF

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