BYU might is no longer a part of the Mountain West Conference but they still played a few games against some familiar foes this season. This will be a chance to show the MWC that they are still a program to be reckoned with.
The Annual Army vs. Navy showdown is one of the oldest traditions in college football. The two teams have played 112 times leading into this week’s matchup, and there’s no shortage of history in this battle. Navy leads the overall series 56-49-7, and they come into this weekend’s contest having won the last 10.
In what might be one of the least-watched games of week 14, the South Alabama Jaguars are set to take on the Hawaii Warriors in a battle of 2-win teams. The Jaguars are representing the Sun Belt Conference, while Hawaii comes from the Mountain West. Neither team has been able to establish their offense at this point in the year, but both have also struggled to keep their opponents in check. Something’s got to give, and the game could be higher scoring than some anticipate.
With Penn State and Ohio State both ineligible for postseason play this season, the Big Ten has officially skipped Plan A and Plan B and gone straight to the Wisconsin Badgers when it comes to the Leaders Division. The Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Badgers will face off on Saturday for a chance at the Rose Bowl, where they’ll meet the winner of the Pac-12 championship game between the UCLA Bruins and the Stanford Cardinal.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the No. 13 Florida State Seminoles are both coming off brutal losses to in-state rivals, but both also have a chance to redeem themselves in the ACC championship. The winner of this battle will propel themselves into the Orange Bowl, and while last week’s losses were tough on both squads, they have to forget the past and focus on this weekend’s matchup.
Kansas State has had almost 2 weeks to get over their shocking loss to Baylor, which knocked them out of the BCS title race, but they can still wrap up the Big 12 title and a BCS bowl berth if they beat Texas or if Oklahoma loses.
Oklahoma still has a chance to win the Big 12 title, but they need to beat TCU in this game and also have Kansas State lose at home to Texas.
There are rumours that Boise State is trying to undo their move to the Big East scheduled for next season. Right now they are 6-1 in the Mountain West, looking to finish with a win and then see what happens.
The Bearcats are actually not all that far from another very good season. They may have three losses but they are by a total of just 16 points and this squad has put up some very impressive numbers this year.
Cincinnati Bearcats (8-3) vs Connecticut Huskies (5-6)
Saturday December 1
Rentschler Field – Storrs, CT
3:30PM
Moneyline: Cincinnati -220, Connecticut +180 from Sportsbook.ag
Spread: Cincinnati -5.5
O/U: 39
ATS Matchup Stats | Gambling Insight!
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Cincinnati
They just have gone largely unnoticed because their signature win was against a mediocre Virginia Tech program. All the upheaval in the Big East hasn’t helped either even though they have a player with the best name in college football.
That player would be QB Munchie Legaux, one of the more athletic players in the country. With him executing the attack CIncinnati has one of the most balanced offenses out there, running and passing for more than 200 yards per game.
Also, I bet you didn’t know that Cincinnati is 13th in the nation in scoring defense giving up just 17ppg – I know I didn’t. This team might not be loaded with top flight talent but they execute and get results.
The Bearcats have been a money winner too going 7-3 ATS this season, including 2-1 on the road. Historically they have not fared well visiting the Huskies though, having lost the last two games outright and the last three against the number in the series. Due to recent performance I think the Bearcats are pretty good value in this one though they have less to play for.[soliloquy id=”82219″]
Connecticut
The Huskies should be feeling better than they have at any point this season after back to back wins against Pittsburgh and Louisville. Now they are looking to carry that momentum into the final against CIncinnati to get the final victory they need to become bowl eligible this year. They have had success against the Bearcats in Storrs but haven’t been very strong at home this season.
This could be a defensive battle as the Huskies are just a smidge worse than Cincinnati on defense giving up an average of 18.5ppg. They will want to turn this into a defensive battle too because this team is not built for a shootout. Normally the Huskies are pretty good at running the ball but not this season. They are averaging less than 100 yards per contest – and it is not like they have a souped up passing attack to compensate.
With a bowl berth in the offing the Huskies should be the more motivated team. A ton of coaches have been fired already and Paul Pasqualoni might find himself among them if he misses the postseason again after 4 straight bowl appearances under Randy Edsall. The home team is 7-1 in this one usually winning by a large margin – 16ppg.
Spread Pick: Connecticut +5.5
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Cincinnati 24 – Connecticut 21
Hard to believe but things have actually gotten worse this year for the Jayhawks as they will likely finish with fewer victories for the second season in row.
The Big East is down this year with no teams ranked in the top 25, but still the winner of this game will bag a BCS bowl berth.
With Oregon and Kansas State both losing last week Alabama is back on track to play in the BCS title game, but they have to beat Auburn and then 3rd ranked Georgia in the HUGE SEC title game. Auburn (3-8) has had a season to forget and they are 07 in SEC play. .
South Carolina at its best was one of the strongest teams in the country. They clobbered Georgia at home giving them their only loss and their own two losses were back to back road trips to LSU and Florida.
Missouri (5-6) has not had a great first season in the SEC and they have lost 3 of their last 3 games. On top of that they face a hot Texas A&M team and may have to face the Aggies without their starting QB.
Baylor (5-5) is coming off a HUGE upset handing Kansas State their first loss of the season, but they still have to win one more game to be bowl eligible.
Michigan has not beaten the Buckeyes in their last 5 games at Ohio State and they will have to snap that streak in order to have any chance to play in the Big 10 title game. However, they will know their fate Friday, as they also need Nebraska to lose to Iowa.
