When thinking about action at Fenway Park in 2022, inconsistent hitting and the inability to protect leads immediately come to mind.
Things could be a little different when the home of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox will play host to the Fenway Bowl between former conference rivals Cincinnati and Louisville.
The college football odds list Louisville as a slight favorite even if the Cardinals will be without quarterback Malik Cunningham, top receiver Tyler Hudson and cornerback Kei’Trel Clark.
Both teams will be led by interim head coaches. Scott Satterfield left Louisville to take over at Cincinnati while former Purdue head coach Brian Brohm has been hired at Louisville. Kerry Coombs will be Cincinnati’s interim head coach for the bowl game while Louisville will be led by Deion Branch.
Below, we have four proposition bets ahead of this bowl showdown, highlighting some key players in both camps.
Let’s check the latest college football odds, stats, injury reports, and college football lines. We’ve plenty of NCAA football odds for you to consider.
NCAAF: Cincinnati vs Louisville Props
- Cincinnati to score first -115
- Cincinnati field goal to open scoring +400
- The team scoring first to win the game -190
- Cincinnati to win by 7-12 points +500
Cincinnati Ready to Roll
Neither of these teams is the fastest starter with Cincinnati scoring the first seven times in the 12 games and Louisville accomplishing the feat only five times. That is something those who bet online might want to take under consideration.
One thing to keep an eye on for Cincinnati is twice the first points of the game came from the defense. Also, three times it was reliable kicker Ryan Coe opening the scoring with a field goal for the Bearcats.
Louisville scored first in just two of the last seven games and now heads into the game without quarterback Malik Cunningham, who opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft.
I will Always Call This Place Home🫶🏿😔 pic.twitter.com/uzOwSWl4k3
— Malik Cunningham (@MalikMalikc10) December 9, 2022
- Pick: Cincinnati to score first (-115)
Getting His Kicks
It was quite the debut for Cincinnati kicker Ryan Coe after transferring from Delaware.
He is 19 for 23 on field goals and has made all 44 of his extra points.
Coe has opened the scoring with a field goal in Cincinnati’s wins over Indiana, Southern Methodist, and Navy. In the Navy game, each of the first Cincinnati drives resulted in field goals by Coe.
For Louisville, the first score has been a field goal four times, and twice that kick came from the opposing team.
- Pick: The first score to be a Cincinnati field goal (+400)
Scoop on Free Play from the Locker Room
No Closer Is Needed
There has been a huge difference for both Cincinnati and Louisville when either the Bearcats or Cardinals score first.
Cincinnati is 6-0 and Louisville 4-1 when opening the scoring, while the Bearcats and Cardinals are a combined 6-7 when falling behind early.
Look for that trend to continue when the teams square off at Fenway Park, even if the teams figure to be more successful at closing out games than the Red Sox were during the 2022 MLB season.
- Pick: Team Scoring First Wins Game (-190)
Bearcats Sharpen Their Claws
What a difference a year makes. At this time last year, Cincinnati was preparing to make history as the first team outside the Power-5 conferences not named Notre Dame picked to play in the College Football Playoff. Now the Bearcats are underdogs against a Louisville team without its star quarterback.
This is not as good or talented a team as the 2021 squad as the Bearcats lost key players on both sides of the ball. Cornerback Sauce Gardner of the New York Jets is the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year front-runner according to the Las Vegas odds while quarterback Desmond Ridder is set to make his first NFL start this weekend with the Atlanta Falcons.
Still, look for Cincinnati to win its final game as a member of the American Athletic Conference before joining the Big 12.
The game is not projected to be full of offensive fireworks with a total of 40½ according to the college football betting lines. The Bearcats won both of their games during the regular season when the combined point total came in under that.
- Pick: Cincinnati to win by 7-12 points (+500).