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Carrie Stroup here with your North Carolina State vs. Cincinnati betting preview. The line on this game has only moved a half point up from -7 to -7.5 at Sportsbook.com. The total is now 60.5 after opening at 59.
A pair of 2-1 teams duel to kick off the weekend in college football when NC State of the ACC visits Cincinnati of the rapidly-dissolving Big East Conference.
A year ago, QB Russell Wilson shredded the Bearcats defense for 333 passing yards and 3 TD, as part of 491 total yards for the Wolfpack in a 30-19 home win. Wilson is gone, and new starting QB Mike Glennon is not the same kind of athlete, but he’s completing 64.1% of his passes and has an 8-to-1 TD/INT ratio through three games this year. Cincinnati is 2-8 SU and 3-7 ATS against BCS conference opponents over the past two years. NC State is led by Tom O’Brien, who boasts a remarkable 22-11 ATS record as an underdog as the Wolfpack head coach.
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State lost its only game against an FBS opponent this year, at Wake Forest 34-27. Glennon has done a good job spreading the wealth, as 10 players already have three receptions on the year, led by T.J. Graham (12 rec, 252 yards, 2 TD) and Tobias Palmer (13 rec, 170 yds, 1 TD). The Wolfpack already have seven defensive interceptions, 13 sacks (tied for 2nd in nation) and have carted a +5 turnover margin in their three contests. However gambling to force turnovers hasn’t fully worked as NC State ranks 103rd in the nation in passing defense (271 YPG).
This is good news for Cincinnati’s great quarterback Zach Collaros, who actually had a better passer efficiency rating than Wilson in last year’s meeting, completing 19-of-31 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns. Collaros has also started 2011 on fire, completing 43-of-69 passes for 562 yards, 7 TD and zero INT in three games this year. D.J. Woods continues to be his go-to guy, with 15 catches for 232 yards. Defensively, the Bearcats are very opportunistic, as they lead the nation with 13 takeaways, and are one of a handful of schools with only one giveaway. However, like NC State, the risk-taking nature of the secondary has led to a bunch of passing yards, as Cincy places 94th among the 120 FBS schools in passing defense (258 YPG).
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
