The Austin Peay Governors (0-2) travel north to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats (0-0) Saturday afternoon with a 12 p.m. ET kickoff at Nippert Stadium. We analyze the Austin Peay-Cincinnati college football betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
The Bearcats are ranked 14th in the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Austin Peay at Cincinnati: Betting odds and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 3:40 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Off the board (OTB)
- Against the spread/ATS: Cincinnati -34.5 (-110) | Austin Peay +34.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 52.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Austin Peay at Cincinnati: Three things to know
- Bearcats QB Desmond Ridder returns as the UC signal-caller. Ridder is the rare junior starter with more than 20 games under his belt. The leader of the Cincinnati offense has played 26 career games, throwing 38 touchdown passes against 14 interceptions.
- UC went 4-2 against the spread at Nippert Stadium last season. One possible comp for this contest against Austin Peay: The Bearcats were favored by 33.5 points in a Nov. 9 tilt against Connecticut. With an even turnover exchange, Cincinnati outgained the Huskies 507-218 in total yards. The Bearcats controlled the game wire-to-wire in a 48-3 victory.
- Cincinnati last played Austin Peay on Aug. 31, 2017. In what marked head coach Luke Fickell‘s debut at UC, the Governors gave the Bearcats everything they could handle in an eventual 26-14 win for Cincinnati.
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Austin Peay at Cincinnati: Odds, betting lines and picks
Prediction
Cincinnati 45, Austin Peay 10
Money line (ML)
There was no moneyline posted at the time of publishing. Due to the lopsided spread, it wouldn’t be worth pursuing, anyway.
Against the spread (ATS)
The Governors were beaten up at Pitt last week, as they were outgained 456 yards to 137. APSU finished the game with just seven first downs and one rushing yard. Now, they draw a ranked foe, and one has to figure Fickell will be looking to get past the near-scare he endured in game No. 1 of his UC career.
He has gone on to drive the Bearcats to four top-25 rankings in five seasons. Cincinnati recruits well across the Midwest, and with a 22-5 mark over the last two seasons, the Bearcats have turned themselves into a group-of-five power.
UC returns 16 starters, including Ridder at quarterback and 13 of the team’s top 15 tacklers from a year ago. The 34-and-a-hook is a big ask, but any movement back toward Austin Peay brings some value to the CINCINNATI 34.5 (-110) side.
Over/Under (O/U)
The Bearcats excel in game-controlling a win with a strong running game (198 yards per game in 2019, 33rd FBS) and a stout defense cast in the image of their former-defensive coordinator-turned-head coach. Saturday’s Nippert Stadium tilt could find the home team scoring seven TDs and the game still not finding the Over. This total (52.5) draws a PASS.
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