The Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3) take on the Louisville Cardinals (7-5) in the Fenway Bowl on Saturday. Kickoff from Fenway Park in Boston is set for 11 a.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Cincinnati vs. Louisville odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
The Bearcats lost to Tulane 27-24 in their final game of the season, failing to cover as 2-point favorites. The loss ended a 3-game winning streak for Cincinnati, which finished 3rd in the AAC and ended the season 3-8-1 against the spread (ATS) and failing to cover in 6 of their last 7 games. Since their final game, the Bearcats lost coach Luke Fickell, who accepted the top job at Wisconsin. Expect his absence to be felt throughout the team.
The Cardinals fell 26-13 to the Kentucky Wildcats in their season finale, failing to cover as 2.5-point underdogs. They finished 4th in the ACC with a 4-4 conference record and 7-5 ATS on the season. They covered 5 of their last 7 games. Louisville’s strength is its defense, ranking 19th in the country in points against (20.2).
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Cincinnati vs. Louisville odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 11:05 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Cincinnati +105 (bet $100 to win $105) | Louisville -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Cincinnati +2 (-111) | Louisville -2 (-109)
- Over/Under (O/U): 40 (O: -109 | U: -111)
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Cincinnati vs. Louisville picks and predictions
Prediction
Cincinnati 17, Louisville 14
Moneyline
BET CINCINNATI (+105).
Louisville will be without QB Malik Cunningham, who made the decision to go pro instead of playing in the game.
Although UC is without QB Ben Bryant (injury), expect former Louisville coach and new Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield to start his tenure on a high note.
He will look to scheme against his former team that will certainly be looking for revenge. Evan Prater is the more capable QB and should be able to help his side come out on top.
Against the spread
LEAN CINCINNATI +2 (-111).
Cincinnati’s total defense ranks 23rd in the country, giving up 328.5 yards of offense per game.
They will look to torment season-long backup QB Brock Dormann and force the Cardinals to run the ball. That combined with Cincinnati’s 46th-ranked scoring offense (31.1 ppg) is a recipe for Bearcats’ success.
Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 40 (-111).
These are 2 high-powered defenses which will certainly keep the game low scoring and means this a game that will be won in the trenches.
The weather in Boston on Saturday is predicted to be a high of 41 degrees with a chance of snow that will affect each offense’s ability to pass.
Betting trends point towards the under as well.
In Louisville’s last 4 games overall, the Under is 4-0, in its last 4 non-conference games, the Under is 4-0 and in their last 4 games against teams with winning records, the Under is 4-0.
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