The Tulsa Golden Hurricane (6-1, 6-0 AAC) and the Cincinnati Bearcats (8-0, 6-0) meet Saturday for an 8 p.m. ET kickoff at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, for the American Athletic Conference Championship Game. Below, we analyze the Tulsa-Cincinnati college football betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Tulsa at Cincinnati: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 11:40 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Tulsa +500 (bet $100 to win $500) | Cincinnati -715 (bet $715 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Tulsa +14.5 (-110) | Cincinnati -14.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 45.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Tulsa at Cincinnati: Three things to know
- Tulsa fell 16-7 at Oklahoma State in its regular-season opener Sept. 19, and many were asking what’s wrong with the Cowboys. Instead, people should have been asking what’s right with the Golden Hurricane. They have rattled off six straight wins to get to Cincinnati, and they’re 6-1 ATS in seven games this season.
- The Golden Hurricane are sufficient on offense, posting 411.3 total yards per game to rank 54th in the country, with 27.7 points per game to rank 70th. Defensively is where they’re strongest, limiting the opposition to 183.4 passing yards per game (15th in the nation), 328.4 total yards per game (20th) and 19.9 PPG (21st).
- Cincinnati has been off since Nov. 21, a narrow 36-33 win at UCF. It was a rare non-cover for the Bearcats, as they are 5-3 ATS overall this season. Cincinnati has scored 36 or more points in each of its past five outings. The Bearcats are a strong defensive team, too, yielding just 308.1 total yards per game (9th), 195.6 passing yards (23rd), 112.5 rushing yards (17th) and 15.0 PPG (5th).
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Tulsa at Cincinnati: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Cincinnati 24, Tulsa 17
Money line (ML)
Cincinnati (-715) is a heavy favorite, and that’s not a good way to spend your money. Yes, it’s at home, but Tulsa has had a knack of finding ways to win, even when it looks like it shouldn’t. Look to the spread instead.
AVOID.
Against the spread (ATS)
TULSA +14.5 (-110) is the best play on the board in this AAC title game. The Golden Hurricane have cashed in three straight, and six of the past seven, including all four of its games on the road. It has been a theme for the Golden Hurricane over the years, as they’re 26-10 ATS in the past 36 on the road, and 20-7 ATS in the past 27 against winning teams.
This will be a bit of a defensive battle, and the ‘Cane will easily hang within two scores.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 45.5 (-110) is a good play in this title game, as both of these teams bring a lot of heat on defense. They have some talent on the offensive side of the ball, but the defenses will reign supreme.
And hey, isn’t it true? Defense wins championships.
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