Saturday night action with the college football odds will include an ESPN2 matchup of struggling Cincinnati against #9 Oklahoma from Paul Brown Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:05 PM Eastern and Sbg global sportsbook opened with Oklahoma as a 13.5-point favorite and an over/under of 52. Paul Brown Stadium is the home of the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL.
Tough Transition for Cincy
The Cincinnati Bearcats are the two-time defending Big East Conference champions but are a far different team from last year’s edition that went 12-1 straight up and played in the Sugar Bowl. Starting quarterback Tony Pike graduated and head coach Brian Kelly cut and run for the Notre Dame job prior to the Sugar Bowl debacle against Florida as new coach Butch Jones has had to work in 10 new starters and manage what has been a difficult transition period in which the Bearcats have gone 1-2 straight up and 0-3 against the spread.
Last week Cincinnati lost on ESPN Thursday Night Football to North Carolina State 30-19 as 2-point road dogs with the game going under the total. Cincy has gone over the number just once in three games. The offense is a far cry from last year’s explosive attack as it ranks 80th for scoring. Junior quarterback Zach Collaros, who was effective in big games as a sub last year, has been solid with a 61% completion percentage and a 6/0 touchdown to interception ratio.
Sooners Sloppy
Oklahoma had a bad opening day win over Utah State 31-24 in which they failed to cover the college football betting odds as 34-point chalks. That was followed up with a 47-17 win and payout over a Florida State team that had cracked the national rankings. But last week the Sooner Schooner had another flat tire as OU posted a 27-24 win over Air Force but failed to bring home the bacon as 16.5-point home favorites. Oklahoma’s defense has alarmed handicappers as it ranks 89th overall while the offense has been decent and ranks 29th for scoring. Sophomore quarterback Landry Jones has been above average with a completion percentage of 62% and a 7/2 TD/INT ratio.
Trends
The Bearcats have failed to cover the college football odds in their last 8 games while Oklahoma has gotten the money in 7 out of their last 9 games versus teams with losing records.