We look to Cincinnati, Ohio Friday night as the South Florida Bulls travel north to take on Big East foe Cincinnati Bearcats. Cincinnati owns a 5-2 edge in the all-time series with USF and the Bearcats have won the past four meetings, including a 34-17 decision last season.
The South Florida Bulls have struggled mightily on offense all year. Quarterback B.J. Daniels has thrown 10 interceptions and turnovers have haunted this team in a big way. The Bulls average just 157 yards through the air each game, which puts them 107th in the nation in passing offense. South Florida has one of the worst offenses in the Big East.
The Cincinnati offense was slow to start but has really found a groove lately. QB Zach Collaros has thrown 17 TD’s to 3 INT’s. The Bearcats are averaging 30 points per game on the year. This is a balanced offense that is extremely dangerous.
South Florida relies heavily on defense. The Bulls are ranked in the top 20 defenses in the country in almost every single important statistic. They are giving up just 16.7 points per game so far this season. The Bearcats defense has been weak against the pass this year, but they have been stellar against the run. Cincinnati does a solid job keeping their opponent out of the end zone and minimizing the damage.
Cincinnati opened as 8 point home favorites in this match up. The line has been steady so far, with most books now showing the Bearcats as 7.5-point favorites. The posted total opened at 46 points. The public is betting heavily on the “over,” which has pushed the total up to 47.5 or 48, depending on the book.
Cincinnati has owned South Florida over the last few years. They have won four straight overall, and they are 6-0 ATS in their last six meetings with the Bulls. South Florida is just 1-4 ATS in their last five road games. Cincinnati is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games overall. The ‘under’ is 4-0 in South Florida’s last four games.
The Bearcats are facing a tough defense this week but Collaros has enough weapons to score points. Cincinnati should be able to control both sides of the ball and prevail in this Big East match up.