Cincinnati Bearcats at Tulane Green Wave Betting Preview: Bearcats Hungry for Playoffs

The number two Cincinnati Bearcats will travel to Louisiana to take on the Tulane Green Wave at noon EST on ESPN2 for an American Athletic Conference matchup. Cincinnati is a perfect 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the conference looking to be the first non-Power 5 conference team to make the College Football Playoff.

Tulane is 1-6 overall and 0-3 in conference play. Tulane’s sole win is against Morgan State. They will look to be a big blemish on Cincinnati’s resume with a win on Saturday, but that will be a big task with Cincinnati being so talented on both sides of the ball.

Odds

Cincinnati is the heavy favorite in this matchup by a margin of 26.5. They have the odds of -105 to cover at this spread. Tulane, at +26.5, has odds of -115 to win against the spread. The over/under is set at 61.5 with odds of -115 to bet the over and -105 to bet the under.

Keys to a Bearcats Victory

Cincinnati struggled to defend against the triple-option against Navy in their last game as they squeaked by to a 27-20 win. The defense couldn’t figure out how to stop them and Desmond Ridder did not play well.

Tulane does not defend well against the run, which should allow for Jerome Ford to have a big day and take the pressure off Ridder. Tulane has given up 40 or more points in four out of their last five games and Cincinnati will be the best offense that they have faced.

Keys to a Green Wave Victory

The Tulane offense is led by quarterback Michael Pratt who needs to be flawless in this game to keep it close. Pratt has done well staying away from interceptions, only throwing five so far this season. He has thrown 16 touchdowns and likes to spread the wealth around to different receivers, which makes it hard to defend when there isn’t the main target.

Lead Rusher Cameron Carroll is having a good season averaging five yards per carry has only found the end zone twice. The offense will need to continually score to match up with the Bearcats offense that should fare especially well against the spotty green wave defense.

Expected Outcome

The Bearcats should win this game with ease and will be looking to blow out this team after their struggles last game versus Navy. They know that the committee is watching them closely for any mistakes and another close win like last week could even be enough to hurt their playoff chances.

With very few tough games left on the schedule, besides SMU, the Cincinnati Bearcats will be hungry on the road for a commanding win, and I expect to see that on Saturday. The first College Football Playoff rankings are coming out next week so this will be Cincinnati’s last chance to prove themselves before they figure out what value the committee sees out of the Bearcats.