One of the better matchups in college football betting lines takes place late on Saturday night on ESPN 2 as Fresno State hosts Cincinnati. The college football odds list Fresno as a slight favorite with a very high total. College football betting lines at SBG indicate that Fresno State is a 2.5 point favorite and the total on the game is 58. That might seem like a high total but both teams should be able to score. Picking a winner in the game might be more difficult than picking the total.
Fresno has Ryan Colburn as their starting quarterback. They have a superstar in waiting though in Derek Carr who is going to redshirt. Unless Colburn gets hurt the Bulldogs will wait to unveil Carr next season. Fresno is going to score points with Pat Hill as head coach. They always do. The question is whether they can stop anyone.
Not the Same Bearcats – This is not the same Cincinnati team as a year ago. Brian Kelly is at Notre Dame and the team will be coached by Butch Jones. Who knows what to expect. What does Cincinnati have? They return Zach Collaros at quarterback. He threw for 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns when Tony Pike was hurt. The team should run the ball more this season with Isaiah Pead and John Goebel. The defense is the weakness of Cincinnati and they are going to get tested by Fresno State. The Bearcats were not that great stopping teams even under Kelly but they found ways to win. They may not have as much luck under Jones.
Trends: We have to be a little careful about Cincinnati’s trends with a new head coach but it should be noted they are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 non-conference games. Fresno has simply been a mess at home vs. the point spread. They are 16-33-2 ATS in their last 51 home games.
The Over – The play on this game against the college football odds looks to be the total. Both teams can score and the trends support scoring. Eight of the last 11 Cincinnati road games have gone over. Four of the last five Fresno home games have gone over the total.