Cincinnati Bearcats vs SMU Betting Preview

The Cincinnati Bearcats will face one of their toughest opponents of the season when they host the SMU Mustangs on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

This will be the second to last game of the regular season in a game that features the playoff-seeking Bearcats and the playoff-spoiling Mustangs.

The Mustangs come into this game at 8-2 overall and 4-2 in the conference with losses against Houston and Memphis in consecutive weeks. They were able to take care of UCF last weekend with a 55-28 win at home.

Cincinnati continues its search for a perfect season as they are 10-0 overall and 6-0 in conference play. They hold one marquee win at Notre Dame on Oct. 2 and hope that this, along with their perfect season, will catapult them to make them the first Group of 5 team to make the College Football Playoff.

Odds

Cincinnati are the favorites in this matchup at -11, with odds of -112 to win at this spread. The Mustangs have the odds of -109 to cover the 11 point spread. The over/under for the game is set at 65 with odds of -113 to bet the over and -107 to bet the under.

Cincinnati has combined with their opponents for over 65.5 points twice this season, and SMU has gone over this point total in five games this season. With their average points per game, the two teams are expected to score 80.8 points in this matchup. Both teams have five wins against the spread.

Players to Watch

The running back position will be a hot topic for the Bearcats. If Jerome Ford is healthy, then he will be a key player to watch, and his impact will be crucial for the Bearcats’ success on Saturday. If he is unable to suit up, then Ryan Montgomery and Charles McClelland will have to take on the workload.

Joel Dublanko was a huge proponent of Cincinnati’s defensive goal-line stand versus Navy to keep them undefeated. He leads the team with 85 tackles. Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner is Cincinnati’s best corner and will most likely line up against star-wideout Danny Gray.

The Mustangs have an explosive offense led by quarterback Tanner Mordecai who is completing 70% of his passes, including 37 touchdowns and ten interceptions. Mordecai will need to limit crucial mistakes against a very good Bearcats defense, but he has the ability to take down the Playoff contenders if he is hot.

The SMU run defense has been solid this season, ranking 18th in opponent rush yards per game. Delano Robinson has had a great season helping to stop the run and leads the team in tackles with 60.

Expected Outcome

This will be a battle between two potent offenses that have the ability to produce a lot of points. Cincinnati wins the battle on the defensive side, but what defense is going to show up on Saturday?

This will be a big determination for who will win on Saturday. The Mustangs are looking to end the Bearcats’ Playoff hopes, but the Bearcats will pull this one out.