Cincinnati Bearcats at Fresno St Bulldogs, Bulldog Stadium, Fresno, CA
Saturday, September 4, 2010, 10:00 pm EST, TV: ESPN2
Opening Line: Fresno St -1
Current Line: Fresno St -2 1/2
Opening total: 57 1/2
Current total: 56
Money Line: Fresno -135/Cincy +115
All odds taken from Bookmaker Sportsbook who is offering a 20% bonus to all deposits this season.
This is a new era for the Cincinnati Bearcats as Butch Jones takes over the program after Brian Kelly left for Notre Dame. Jones had some success at Central Michgan as the Chips regularly competed for the MAC title under Jones. Ironically Kelly also coached at CMU before coaching the Bearcats. The Bearcats also have to replace quarterback Tony Pike and receiver Marty Gilyard, both of whom are in the NFL now. Junior Zach Collaros had some success in 4 games last year subbing for the injured Pike so that experience should help him. It also helps that he has receiver Armon Binns who is the Big East’s second leading returning receiver. The Bearcats are loaded at the other skill positions as well including USC transfer Vidal Hazelton at the other receiver, Ben Guidguli,a potential All-American at tight end, and running back Isaiah Pead who averaged 6.7 yards a carry last year. The offensive line is solid but doesn’t have a lot of depth behind the starters. The Bearcats return 6 starters on defense but no seniors. They switch back to a 4-3 after running a 3-4 system last year. They hope to be able to get more pressure on the quarterback with the new system. The key players returning are linebacker JK Schaffer, DT Derek Wolfe, and strong safety Drew Fry. Like the offense the Bearcats defense has some depth issues and hope the starters can stay healthy.
The Fresno St Bulldogs continue their practice of playing any team, anywhere on any day. Though Boise St gets most of the national respect in the WAC, Fresno is always a tough gritty team to play against. Coach Pat Hill will always have his team ready to play, even if the opponent has superior talent. Senior quarterback Ryan Colburn returns after throwing for almost 2,500 yards and 19 touchdowns last season. But the Bulldogs do have to replace Ryan Matthews at running back who was drafted by the chargers in the first round of the NFL draft. Matthews rushed for over 1,800 yards and 19 touchdowns. Michael Harris and A.J. Ellis have the unenviable task of replacing Matthews. The Bulldogs have lot of talent at receiver led by senior Devon Wylie and junior Jamel Hamler. The offensive line returns all 5 starters and is led by center Joe Bernadi. The defense is led by linebacker Ben Jacobs, and hopes to improve after struggling last year.
The weather will be a little hot as game time temps are expected to be in the high 70’s or low 80’s. I expect to see a ton of points as both teams have explosive offenses and defenses that aren’t great. The time of the game might be a disadvantage for the Bearcats as it starts at 10:00 pm Eastern, and they have to travel across country to a tough stadium to play in. It should be a great game, and both teams look to get off to a good start for the season.
With this game hovering around the key number of 3, be sure to get the best number out there via our college football betting odds page. Whether you like Cincinnati or Fresno State it is the smart move to shop around and get those extra half points as they add up over the course of a season.
