UCF at Cincinnati odds, picks and prediction
The UCF Knights (3-2, 1-1 AAC) travel to meet the No. 4 Cincinnati Bearcats (5-0, 1-0) Saturday at Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET. Below, we look at the UCF vs. Cincinnati odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
The Knights are coming off an uninspiring 20-16 win over East Carolina at the Bounce House, failing to cover for a third straight time, and fourth time in five occasions. The Under result was a surprise as the Over was on a 4-0 run to start the season.
The Bearcats continue to push for a possible chance at the College Football Playoff, but there is a lot of football to be played yet. They have wins at Indiana and at Notre Dame in their pocket, with the latter particularly impressive for the resume. They rocked a decent Temple side 52-3 Oct. 8 for a third consecutive cover.
Rankings according to the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
UCF at Cincinnati odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports' betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:50 a.m. ET.
- Money line: UCF +750 (bet $100 to win $750) | Cincinnati -1400 (bet $1,400 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): UCF +21.5 (-115) | Cincinnati -21.5 (-107)
- Over/Under (O/U): 55.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
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UCF at Cincinnati odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Cincinnati 41, UCF 24
Money line
Cincinnati (-1400) should be able to get through this one with a win and stay unblemished through the first half of the regular-season schedule. However, laying 14 times your potential winnings is not a recommended betting strategy. There is just no value here.
AVOID and look to the spread instead.
Against the spread
UCF +21.5 (-115) catching more than three touchdowns is quite a bit. Yes, Cincinnati has been dominant. Yes, UC is 3-0 ATS in the previous three, while UCF is 1-4 ATS overall. But I think, based on the trends, it's a bit of an overcorrection by the books. Last week's sluggish showing against ECU is more the Knights looking ahead than being an average team. They'll make the Bearcats work in this one.
Over/Under
OVER 55.5 (-107) looks like a risky play based upon Cincinnati's lockdown defense and UCF's poor showing last week. But again, I think UCF was looking ahead. Looking at their overall body of work, the Over is 4-1 and UCF has gone for 30 or more points in each of those Over games. Its defense is subpar, so Cincinnati will roll up big totals, too.
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