College Football Predictions – South Florida Bulls Vs Cincinnati Bearcats

We watch Cincinnati, Ohio on Friday night as the South Florida Bulls travel north to take on Big East’s foe, the Cincinnati Bearcats. Cincinnati owns a 5-2 lead in the all-time series with the USF and the Bearcats have won the last four meetings, including a 34-17 decision last season.

The South Florida Bulls have struggled on offense all year. Quarterback BJ Daniels has thrown 10 interceptions and turnovers have haunted this team in a big way. The Bulls average just 157 yards passing through each game, which puts them 107th in the nation in passing offense. South Florida has one of the worst offenses in the Big East.

Cincinnati’s offense was slow to start, but it has really found a groove lately. QB Zach Collaros has thrown 17 TD’s against 3 INT’s. The Bearcats are averaging 30 points per game on the year. This is a balanced offense that is extremely dangerous.

South Florida relies heavily on defense. The Bulls are ranked in the top 20 defenses in the country in almost every major statistic. They are giving up just 16.7 points per game so far this season. The Bearcats defense has been weak against the pass this year, but it has been stellar against the run. Cincinnati does a solid job of keeping their opponent out of the end zone and minimizing damage.

Cincinnati opened as favorites at home by 8 points in this game. The line has been stable so far, with most books now showing the Bearcats as 7.5-point favorites. The published total opened at 46 points. The public is betting heavily on the “finale,” which has brought the total to 47.5 or 48, according to the book.

Cincinnati has owned South Florida for the past few years. They have won four in a row overall, and are 6-0 ATS in their last six meetings with the Bulls. South Florida is just 1-4 ATS in their last five road games. Cincinnati is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games overall. The ‘under’ is 4-0 in South Florida’s last four games.

The Bearcats face tough defense this week, but Collaros has enough weapons to score points. Cincinnati should be able to control both sides of the ball and prevail in this Big East showdown.