Cincinnati Bearcats at SMU Mustangs College Football Betting Preview
Two of the remaining Group of Five unbeaten teams go head-to-head in the American Athletic Conference this week as No. 16 SMU (5-0) hosts No. 9 Cincinnati (3-0). The contest kicks off Saturday at 9 p.m. ET at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas and will be televised on ESPN2.
There's not much history between these programs, with all four of their meetings coming in the last seven years. Cincinnati leads 3-1 with a win in the most recent meeting in 2018. SMU's lone win came on the road in 2017, as the Bearcats are 2-0 in Dallas.
Cincinnati Bearcats Betting Outlook: Pressure Buechele
In betting with us this season at www.RealBookies.com , the Bearcats are 1-2 ATS, and the under is 1-2 in their three games. Cincinnati's offense ranks 47th in college football with 396 yards per game, and the Bearcats rank 22nd in scoring at 35.7 points per game.
The Cincinnati defense is sixth in scoring defense (12.3 points per game), 11th against the pass (171.7 yards per game) and 12th in total yards allowed (306.7 yards per game).
Cincinnati has not played on the road yet this season, notching a 55-20 win over Austin Peay, a 24-10 win over Army and a 28-7 win over South Florida at home. Because of a COVID-19 postponement against Tulsa last Saturday, the Bearcats haven't played in two weeks.
Luke Fickell's offense is led by quarterback Desmond Ridder, who has completed 61% of his passes in three games. Ridder has thrown for 597 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions.
Running back Gerrid Doaks leads the team with 145 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 42 carries. He also has two receiving touchdowns with six catches for 130 yards. Running back Charles McClelland has 110 yards on 19 carries, while running back Jerome Ford has two touchdowns.
Wide receiver Jayson Jackson has the most receiving yards with 132 on eight catches, while Michael Young has nine catches for 82 yards. Josh Whyle has two receiving touchdowns, while Tre Tucker and Bruno Labelle each have one.
SMU Mustangs Betting Preview: Air It Out
In betting with us this season at www.RealBookies.com , the Mustangs are 3-2 ATS, and the under is 3-2 in their five games. The offense ranks fourth in the country in total yards (563.3 yards per game), fifth in passing (359.2 yards per game) and seventh in scoring (42.6 points per game). The defense ranks 42nd in total yards allowed (407.4 yards per game), 47th against the run (170.4 yards per game) and 27th in scoring defense (25.4 points per game).
The Mustangs are 2-0 at home this season, with a 50-7 win over Stephen F. Austin and a 30-27 win over Memphis. Last week, they won in overtime at Tulane 37-34 as a 6.5-point favorite.
Sonny Dykes’ offense is led by former Texas quarterback Shane Buechele. The senior threw for nearly 4,000 yards last year, and he has 1,710 yards in five games this season. He has completed 68% of his passes with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Five players have at least 17 catches so far this season, led by wide receivers Rashee Rice (24 catches, 411 yards, one TD) and Reggie Roberson Jr. (22 catches, 474 yards, five TDs). Danny Gray has four touchdown catches, while Kylen Granson has two.
Running back Ulysses Bentley IV not only has one of the best names in college football, but he's also run for 506 yards and eight touchdowns in five games. T.J. McDaniel has added 297 rushing yards and one touchdown, while Gray has two rushing scores.
Cincinnati Bearcats at SMU Mustangs College Football Betting Line
Head to our favorite pay per head bookie site at realbookies , where SMU is favored by 2.5 points at home. The total is 56.5 points, and Cincinnati is +115 on the moneyline to pull a road upset, despite being higher ranked in the AP poll.
Betting Analysis
Not only does the winner of this game take the inside spot for the American Athletic lead, but also for the Group of Five spot in the New Year's Six. The strength of the Bearcats defense is against the pass, which happens to be the strength of the SMU offense.
Cincinnati is untested this season, and it will likely need to get things going early to keep up with SMU on the road.
Free Bet: Over 56.5 points (-110)
