The Cincinnati Bearcats (10-1, 7-0 AAC East) battle the Memphis Tigers (10-1, 6-1 AAC West) Friday at the Liberty Bowl at 3:30 p.m. ET. We analyze the Cincinnati-Memphis odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.
Cincinnati is No. 17, while Memphis is No. 18 in the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA Today Sports. Meanwhile, the Tigers are 18th and the Bearcats 19th in the College Football Playoff Rankings.
Cincinnati at Memphis: Three things you need to know
1. The Bearcats and Tigers square off in what might be a preview of the AAC Championship Game next week if Memphis is able to win Saturday or not fall behind Navy (8-2, 6-1) in the AAC West standings.
2. Memphis ranks 10th nationally with 488.2 total yards per game on offense, while checking in 20th in passing yards (292.0 YPG) and eighth in points per game (42.2 PPG).
3. Cincinnati ranks 35th in rushing defense, yielding 133.7 yards per game. The Bearcats will be tasked with stopping Memphis freshman phenom RB Kenneth Gainwell, who has rolled up 1,294 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns.
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Cincinnati at Memphis: Odds, betting lines and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 1:35 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Memphis 44, Cincinnati 30
Moneyline (ML)
Cincinnati (+310) is almost worth a roll of the dice, as the ‘Cats look to keep their New Year’s Day bowl game hopes alive. Playing at the Liberty Bowl is a tough assignment, however. Memphis (-500) is an overwhelming favorite since it’s at home and has yet to clinch a spot in the AAC title game.
New to sports betting? Every $10 wagered that Memphis will win outright will return a profit of $2.00.
Against the Spread (ATS)
MEMPHIS (-10.5, -121) has posted a 4-1 ATS mark across the past five outings, and it’s 19-7-1 ATS in the previous 27 AAC battles. The Tigers are also 5-2 ATS in the past seven against teams with an overall winning mark. Cincinnati (+10.5, +100) is a tempting play, as it has only lost one game this season, a 30-28 setback at Temple. However, it also hasn’t faced a powerful offense like Memphis, yet.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER (57.5, -106) is a great play. Memphis can score points at a video-game pace, and Cincinnati’s defense will have a hard time shutting the Tigers down. Gainwell can house it anytime he touches the ball, and sorry AAC, he is just a freshman. He’ll be around to terrorize conference defenses for a while.
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