NCAAF: BEARCATS ROAD CHALK TONIGHT
Sportsbook.com has Cincinnati favored by four points with a Total of 47.5. ESPN2 will broadcast this Big East encounter starting at 8 pm ET.
The Cincinnati Bearcats have cracked the Top 25 for the first time this season, but to stay there, they will need to defeat an old nemesis, the Louisville Cardinals.
Cincinnati (7-2, 4-4 ATS) gave up the final 23 points in its 40-16 loss to Connecticut back on October 25th, a finish that didn’t seem to bode well for the Bearcats as they entered the toughest stretch of their schedule.
Cincinnati responded with consecutive wins over ranked Big East rivals, defeating then-No. 24 South Florida 24-10 on Oct. 30th, before edging then-No. 20 West Virginia, 26-23 in overtime last Saturday as a touchdown underdog.
Quarterback Tony Pike, still recovering from surgery on his non-throwing arm, showed his grittiness, sealing the win with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kazeem Alli.
The Bearcats are definitely contenders, having pulled into a three-way tie for first place in the conference with West Virginia and Pittsburgh. Cincy is 4-0-1 ATS under coach Brian Kelly in November contests.
The Bearcats can probably expect to be challenged again by the Cardinals (5-4, 4-4 ATS), who have struggled in recent weeks but have dominated their series with Cincinnati lately.
Louisville has won nine of the last 10 meetings outright, with an 8-2 ATS record, including five straight – the longest win streak in the series for either team since Cincinnati won the first 12 meetings from 1929-1969.
To top a ranked Cincinnati team for the second consecutive season, however, the Cardinals will need to improve on their performances from the last two weeks.
After defeating a ranked South Florida squad on October 25th, Louisville fell to continually rebuilding Syracuse 28-21 before an ugly 41-7 loss to Pittsburgh last Saturday, in which they committed five turnovers.
The Cardinals are 10-22 ATS after a game where they committed four or more turnovers.
The Bearcats are 19-9-2 ATS in their last 30 outings. The Cincy defense was tremendous in holding West Virginia to just 98 yards rushing but is 0-5 ATS in their next contest after allowing less than 100 yards on the ground.
Louisville can play defense, especially against the run, ranking seventh in the country at 91.4 yards per game. Their vulnerability lies in pass defense, ranked 83rd in being picked apart for 225.4 yards per game, which is what Cincinnati does best offensively.
Friday Night College Football Prediction – Cincinnati covers
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