South Florida Bulls at Cincinnati Bearcats
Friday, 10/22/2010, 8:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN2
Opening Point Spread: Cincinnati -8.5
Current Betting Line: Cincinnati -8
Opening Total: 46
Current Total: 48
Current Moneyline: Cincinnati -300 / South Florida +250
South Florida heads out on the road for a second consecutive week and lands in Cincinnati for a Big East Conference matchup. The Bulls have struggled offensively in its first two conference games, especially on third downs and lack of big plays. “What we’ve go to do is we have to find a way to move the ball consistently and put it in the end zone,” coach Skip Holtz said. Going into this contest, the team is converting third downs at a 26.6 percent rate, which is last in the Big East and 117th nationally. The squad is coming off a 20-6 loss at No. 25 West Virginia, but the program has gone 35-20 after a loss in its 14-year history. As a head coach, Holtz has posted a 29-17 record in games following a defeat. South Florida is 5-5 ATS in its last 10 games off a loss versus a conference rival. You can compare betting odds on our college football lines page which features 10 quality online sportsbooks.
The Bulls have dealt with two-game road trips nine times in the program’s history and gone 9-9 in those games. South Florida has won both games twice, lost both twice and split five times. Undoubtedly the team has a good chance of being in this contest due to allowing just one opponent to score more than 20 points this season. Florida tallied 38 in its 24-point win over the Bulls. The defensive unit is third in the league in total defense (300.7 ypg) and second against the pass (165.7 ypg). Defensive end Craig Marshall is leads the defense in sacks with 4.0 and will be a key component in getting to the quarterback, as the Bearcats have given up 19 sacks this season.
Cincinnati returns to Nippert Stadium on Friday night for a conference contest and enter on a two-game winning streak after a 45-3 home victory over Miami (OH) and 35-27 road win against Louisville last week. The Bearcats own a 14-game winning streak at home and appear to have two winnable games ahead on its home turf. “It does help knowing that you’ve got some games at home,” said head coach Butch Jones. “Now we’ve got to take advantage of it.” The team has evened up its record at 3-3 after suffering a tough 31-29 defeat to Oklahoma on September 25 at Paul Brown Stadium, which has given the team confidence knowing it nearly beat the BCS’s current top team.
The Bearcats have won 13-straight Big East Conference games and are led by running back Isaiah Pead. He has logged 511 yards in the past three games, gaining at least 100 yards in each contest. Optimism has also been created by the play of the offensive line last week, surrendering zero sacks against an aggressive Louisville defense, after giving up 15 sacks in its first three games. Defensively, the team will be looking for a better performance, giving up 434 total yards of offense to Louisville. Despite all the yards, Cincinnati gave up just three points in the second half. “We practice to finish. We play to finish,” defensive back Reuben Johnson said after the game.
Bettors will be quick to notice that the Bulls are 0-6 ATS in the last six meetings in this series, but the Bearcats are 3-8 ATS in their last eight games overall. Maddux Sports has crushed the bookmakers this college football season and has released their Friday college football picks which figures to be another solid winner. You can get this easy winner via our college football betting picks page of the site.
