Cincinnati at South Florida Football Picks & Predictions
The 5-0 Cincinnati Bearcats take on the 5-0 South Florida Bulls Thursday night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida in a critical Big East showdown on ESPN. The books are giving the early edge to the Bearcats, listing Cincinnati as a 3.5-point road favorite.
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Cincy QB Tony Pike is looking to lead the eighth ranked Bearcats to a fourth straight win over the 21st ranked Bulls Thursday night. Pike has the Cincy offense rolling, but he faces a stiff task against one the country’s best defenses. The South Florida defense has been particularly strong against the pass, holding opposing QB’s to only two touchdowns while picking them off seven times. Last season, the Bulls boasted the 25th ranked scoring defense in the country, allowing just 20 points per game. So far this season the Bulls are only allowing 9.4 points per contest, good for fifth in the country. They also rank third in forced turnovers with 16 and 10th in total yards allowed with 263. Senior safety Nate Allen is the guy who will be stalking Pike. He leads the team with 29 stops and two interceptions. The guys up front make his job easier with the pressure they are able to apply. End Jason Pierre-Paul is the headliner, leading the team with 6.5 tackles for loss.
Offensively, freshman QB B.J. Daniels leads the unit. Daniels was forced to step in when talented senior signal caller Matt Grothe sustained a season ending knee injury. Daniels has thrown six touchdown strikes against two interceptions. And he is quickly falling in love with 6-4 wideout Carlton Mitchell, who has 21 grabs for 377 yards and three scores thus far. Mitchell has also enjoyed success against the Bearcats with 11 catches for 187 yards in two career games against them. It is also worth noting that the Bulls are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games as an underdog. If you like the Bulls to pull off the upset, bet South Florida at +3.5 at Bookmaker.
Pike led the Bearcats to a 24-10 win over then No. 24 South Florida when the teams last met in 2008. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns in just his second game back after breaking his non-throwing arm. He paid the price for the win, however, taking several hard hits and eventually being forced out of the game with a hand injury in the fourth quarter. Pike will be healthy this time around and he will be looking for the same result. The challenge will be doing it on the road against a defense that may even be better in 2009. Pike has thrown for 1,493 yards and 13 touchdowns against only three interceptions this season. Cincy ranks third in the nation in scoring offense with a 43.2 points per game average. Pike has thrown a touchdown pass in 15 straight games so I don’t see that streak coming to an end with as sharp as he’s been. The key to the Bearcats staying undefeated likely falls on the defense. The Bearcats are allowing only 13.8 points per game this season despite spending the most time on the field of any unit in college football. Bearcats opponents have held the ball for a nation-leading 36:08 minutes per contest. A big reason for this stat is because the Bearcats have a quick strike offense instead of one that puts together a lot of long drives, but coach Brian Kelly has expressed some concern over his team’s third down defense. It is worth noting that the Bearcats are 5-0 against the number in the last five meetings in this matchup. If you like the Bearcats to keep right on rolling on the road, bet Cincinnati at -3.5 at Bookmaker.
Make sure you see who world champion handicapper Jimmy Boyd is betting on this matchup in his expert football picks package for another big winner!
