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Week 12 Group of Five Rundown

Cincinnati is another significant favorite in the college football odds this week as it plays host to SMU.

The Bearcats remain on the outside looking in at No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings as their undefeated season continues to move in pedestrian fashion.

houston cougars vs memphis tigers 2021
Tim Warner / Getty Images via AFP

Houston Cougars vs. Memphis Tigers

Odds: Houston -9 (60½)

Prediction: Houston 38, Memphis 24

Houston (9-1, 7-0 American Athletic Conference) welcomes Memphis (5-5, 2-4) on Friday after finally getting some love from the CFP committee. The Cougars joined the party at No. 24 after improving to 6-4 against the spread in 2021 with a 37-8 triumph over 26-point underdog Temple. The Tigers come off a 30-29 overtime loss to East Carolina as a four-point favorite with the game sneaking over the 58 total.

Memphis has won and covered in the last five meetings with last season’s 30-27 triumph coming as a seven-point underdog. Houston can punch its ticket to the AAC championship game with a victory. If the Cougars win the title, they could wind up ranked higher than Cincinnati with a New Year’s Six bowl game at stake.

San Diego State Aztecs at UNLV Rebels

Odds: San Diego State -11 (41)

Prediction: San Diego State 27, UNLV 10

No. 19 San Diego State (9-1, 5-1 Mountain West) will remain in the fray for a New Year’s Six bowl game provided it takes care of business against UNLV (2-8, 2-4). The Aztecs have won two straight despite going 0-1-1 ATS after a too-narrow 23-21 triumph over Nevada gave them sole possession of first place in the MWC West Division.

The Rebels have also won two in a row, both as an underdog of fewer than three points. San Diego State has won the last two meetings, going 1-1 ATS, while the last five get-togethers have gone under when betting online.

Cincinnati Bearcats vs. SMU Mustangs

Odds: Cincinnati – 11½ (65)

Prediction: Cincinnati 34, SMU 27

Cincinnati (10-0, 6-0 AAC) could impress the committee a bit more with an emphatic victory over SMU (8-2, 4-2) on Saturday. The Bearcats have failed to cover the spread in four straight games, as predicted here, after winning at South Florida 45-28 as a 24½-point choice. Cincinnati has been favored by at least 22½ during the ATS slide, so this reduced number could be a bit more to their liking. SMU is 6-4 ATS after routing Central Florida 55-28 as a seven-point pick in the college football spreads. The under has delivered in the last four meetings.

UTSA Roadrunners vs. UAB Blazers

Odds: Texas-San Antonio -5 (53½)

Prediction: UTSA 27, UAB 24

First place in the Conference USA West Division is on the line as No. 22 UTSA (10-0, 6-0 C-USA) welcomes UAB (7-3, 5-1). The Roadrunners, one of three undefeated FBS teams, continued the best start in program history with a 27-17 triumph over Southern Miss but saw their four-game ATS streak snapped as they were a whopping 32½-point favorite.

The Blazers are 6-3-1 ATS after upsetting Marshall 21-14 as a 4½-point underdog. UAB has won four straight meetings, but UTSA easily covered 21½ last season in a 21-13 contest that stayed way under 55.

BYU Cougars at Georgia Southern Eagles

Odds: BYU -20 (58)

Prediction: BYU 42, Georgia Southern 31

No. 14 BYU (8-2) is the second highest-ranked Group of Five team as it hits the road to play Georgia Southern (3-7). The Cougars had last week off after trouncing FCS Idaho State 59-14 on Nov. 6, covering the 36-point spread in online sports betting.

The Eagles snapped a three-game ATS slide with a 38-30 victory over Texas Southern as a 2½-point underdog. The programs have never met. BYU has scored 125 points in its last two games starting with a 66-49 win over Virginia.

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