A Group of Five team has never qualified for the College Football Playoff, but the Cincinnati Bearcats hope to break through to the CFP committee and become the first.
As it stands, Clemson, Alabama and Ohio State look head and shoulders above the rest of the field in college football. But that No. 4 spot appears to be wide open. Can Cincy shine up its resume by covering as 13.5-point favorites against Houston?
Let’s take a look at our best college football predictions for Houston at Cincinnati, with kickoff scheduled for Saturday, November 7 at 3:30 ET.
Houston Cougars at Cincinnati Bearcats betting preview
Weather
It should be a beautiful afternoon for college football at Nippert Stadium. The forecast is calling for clear skies with temperatures in the mid-60s and minimal wind. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key Injuries
Houston: Donavan Martin LB (Questionable), Terrance Edgeston LB (Questionable), Patrick Paul OL (Questionable), Marquez Stevenson WR (Doubtful), Terrell Brown RB (Out).
Cincinnati: Arquon Bush CB (Questionable), Alec Pierce WR (Questionable), Jaquan Sheppard S (Questionable), Bruno Labelle TE (Questionable).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Backing Houston in this matchup has not been profitable over the last few years, with Cincy going 4-1-1 ATS in the last six meetings. Find more NCAA betting trends for Houston vs. Cincinnati.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
Cincinnati has looked nothing short of dominant over its first five games this season, despite going just 3-2 against the spread. The Bearcats have an average margin of victory of 27.6 points and the two games they didn’t cover, they were 22.5 and 39.5-point favorites and missed those covers by 1.5 and 4.5 points, respectively.
And the Bearcats toughest challenges haven’t been close. They thumped SMU 42-13 as 1-point road dogs and took care of business against Memphis 49-10 as 6.5-point home chalk.
The Cincinnati offense is efficient, led by dual-threat QB Desmond Ridder, and has three other running backs with over 100 yards on the season. But it’s the Cincinnati defense that is the show-stopper.
The Bearcats rank 15th in yards allowed per game at 306.2 and are giving up just 12 points per contest. In their last two games against Memphis and SMU, two teams in the Top 11 in total offense, they allowed just 23 points.
Houston has a solid offense, led by a dual-threat QB of its own in Clayton Tune, but it can get a little too one-dimensional at times. And while the Cougars are notably better than the Tigers or Mustangs, it’s hard not to back the Bearcats in this spot.
PREDICTION: Cincinnati -13.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
Houston is coming off a 44-21 loss to UCF in a game that went way Under the total of 82, and now the Cougars see their lowest total of the season. The number is sitting at 55 as of Wednesday night and that may be low enough to consider the Over, despite the fact the Under is 7-1 in Cincinnati’s last eight conference games.
Once again, Cincy has thumped two similar teams in Memphis and SMU, putting up 40-plus points in each game, and going up against a Houston D that has more holes than a block of swiss cheese, there’s reason to believe they’ll approach that 40-point mark once again.
That would mean the Cougars’ high-tempo offense will need just a couple of scores for this one to go Over. This number is just low enough to make us think that is a good bet.
PREDICTION: Over 55 (-110)
Team Total Prop Pick
We just talked about how we think Cincinnati has a real shot to put up close to 40 points for the third straight game. And why not? The Bearcats offense seems to be getting better each week and has progressively scored more points in each of the last four games.
Now they go up against a Houston team that has given up 40-plus points in each of its two losses. So, Cincy’s team total stood out right away.
PREDICTION: Cincinnati Team Total Over 34.5 (-106)
Houston vs Cincinnati betting card
- Cincinnati -13.5 (-110)
- Over 55 (-110)
- Cincinnati Team Total Over 34.5 (-106)
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Use our NCAA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where can I bet on college football?
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