College Football Betting – Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Louisville Cardinals
The standings in the Big East couldn’t be any tighter, and two teams that still have aspirations of heading to the Orange Bowl as conference champs hook up at Papa John’s Stadium when the Cincinnati Bearcats (7-2, 4-4 ATS) square off against the Louisville Cardinals (5-4, 4-4 ATS).
The Cardinals have dominated this series since 2003 going a perfect 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS, and beat the Bearcats by an average of 20 points per game during that stretch. Sports betting fans that wagered on last year’s game were treated to a fantastic 28-24 upset for Louisville; the Cardinals closed as eight-point underdogs in the showdown.
Even though they almost choked away a late two score lead against the Mountaineers, Cincinnati took control of the Big East by beating West Virginia 26-23 in overtime last Saturday night in Morgantown. Cincinnati bettors were in front of the football betting line the entire game, but were forced to sweat when WVU scored ten points in the final 19 seconds of regulation to force the match-up into overtime.
The Mountaineers kicked a field goal to start the extra frame, but QB Tony Pike’s touchdown pass earned the Bearcats a 26-23 upset as 7-point road underdogs. Pike completed 16-of- 30 passes for 178 yards and the game-winning score, but the defense was key, holding the Mountaineers to 98 yards on 42 carries. It was the second straight victory for Cincy as underdogs, and they’ve now knocked off Big East favorites South Florida and West Virginia in consecutive weeks.
It’s been a rough season for the Cardinals, and that was only compounded for HC Steve Kragthorpe and the gang by getting blown away 41-7 at Pittsburgh last weekend. After rolling off three straight victories SU and ATS, Louisville has now lost back-to-back games by an average of 23 points per game against the spread.
The Cardinals fell behind 20-0 at halftime, but the ‘Ville countered with a touchdown late in the third to give their NCAA bettors a chance. However, two straight defensive scores in a matter of just 40 seconds finished the job and sent the Cardinals packing. QB Hunter Cantwell only netted 142 yards of offense.
The numbers on both sides of the ball are respectable for the Cards, as they currently rank 46th in offense (378.2) and 33rd on defense (316.9). They still find themselves one win from bowl eligibility and may not have an easier game on the schedule to find that elusive sixth win than this Friday night.
Oddsmakers have installed the Bearcats as slender 3.5-point road favorites on the NCAA betting line with the ‘total’ being set at 48.
Louisville is 8-2 ATS in its L/10 meetings with the Bearcats, and is 21-9 ATS in its L/30 games at Papa John’s Stadium. That said; the favorite is 8-3 ATS in their L/11 meetings in this series.
