Indiana Hoosiers vs. Cincinnati Bearcats September 24 Betting Preview

The Cincinnati Bearcats will host the Indiana Hoosiers for their fourth game of the season for a 3:30 p.m kickoff in front of what is expected to be a packed Nippert Stadium on Saturday. These two teams met last season where the Bearcats were able to pull out the win in a 38-24 game.

The Bearcats come into Week 4 with a record of 2-1 after a week one loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks.

They have been able to overcome this loss with two strong wins against lesser opponents in Kennesaw State and Miami Ohio. Last week, Ben Bryant threw for 337 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-17 rout of the Redhawks.

The Hoosiers are a perfect 3-0 with their three wins coming against Illinois, Idaho and Western Kentucky. Connor Bazelak has been the leader for the Hoosiers as a junior as he ranks 20th in total yards with 891. 

This season he has had a completion percentage of 56.6 percent with five touchdowns and two interceptions.

Let’s look ahead at what is looking to be a tough matchup between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Indiana Hoosiers.

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Odds

Even though the Hoosiers are a perfect 3-0, they have not played that good of competition and the oddsmakers are noticing that in this matchup. 

The odds are heavily in favor of the Bearcats at -16.5 with odds of (-110). Indiana, as the away team, have the same odds of (-110) to cover the 16.5 point spread.

For the total number of points expected to be scored in the game, the line is set at 57 points. The odds to bet the over are (-112), and the odds to bet the under are (-109).

Keys To The Game

Ben Bryant and the offense will be a crucial part of the game, but the defensive pressure will be the main key for the Bearcats. Cincinnati ranks fifth in the nation in sack percentage at 11.32. 

They defend very well against the pass by limiting opponents to under 170 yards per game which ranks 18th in all of college football. The Bearcats defense will need to focus on stopping Shaun Shivers in the running game. 

Shivers has not played extremely well this season with only one touchdown, but the weakest point of Cincinnati this season is their run defense. They will need to stop Shivers on the early downs to force Indiana to throw the ball and play into their strengths.

For the Hoosiers, the defense will also be the main contributor to their success. They rank 13th in takeaways per game and will need to put the pressure on Bryant and the Bearcats’ offense if they want to win this game. If they are able to force Bryant into mistakes and give Indiana’s offense good field position, they will be in a great spot to win this game.