Bearcats on Six-Game Winning Streak
The No. 20 Cincinnati Bearcats try to stay unbeaten in American Athletic Conference play when they visit the UCF Knights on Saturday. Cincinnati has won six straight contests, including all three of its AAC contests, and is in second place in the conference standings, a half-game behind the Tulane Green Wave.
UCF is coming off its first conference loss, falling to the East Carolina Pirates last weekend, and is tied with the Houston Cougars for third place in the conference. The AAC race is still wide open and both teams need this win, so check out our in-depth preview to help with your betting online.
Let’s check the latest college football odds, stats, injury reports, and college football lines for Cincinnati vs UCF. We’ve plenty of NCAA football odds for you to consider.
Cincinnati Getting By on Conference Wins
The Cincinnati Bearcats are picking up wins, but it hasn’t been easy. The Bearcats are coming off a two-point win against SMU that saw the Mustangs come back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter to fall a two-point conversion short of tying the game.
“It wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t perfect, but ultimately it was good enough to get the job done,” Cincinnati linebacker Wilson Huber said after Saturday’s win.
Cincinnati topped South Florida by four points in their previous win, making a couple of close contests that are wins but show that the Bearcats still have some improving to do.
Quarterback Ben Bryant has been solid if not spectacular, throwing for 1,761 yards and 15 touchdowns. He had thrown at least two touchdowns in every game this season before getting shut out on scoring strikes against SMU.
Running back Charles McClelland has been playing well of late, rushing for 179 yards and two scores against South Florida, then rushing for 129 yards against SMU, including a 76-yard touchdown run. The senior has 631 yards and six touchdowns on the season.
UCF Defense Needs Bounce-Back Performance
UCF is 15th in college football in scoring defense this season, allowing just 17.14 points per game, but that number went up a bit last week after East Carolina scored 34 on the Knights. That broke a nine-game streak of allowing 20 or fewer points to opponents, dating back to last season.
Part of that was caused by the offense, which had four turnovers, all committed by quarterback John Rhys Plumlee (three interceptions, one fumble). The senior has been good, throwing for 1,812 yards and 11 touchdowns, but he had those miscues plus was sacked four times in the loss to the Pirates.
Plumlee is also leading the Knights with 506 rushing yards, scoring seven touchdowns on the ground. Running back Isaiah Bowser has chipped in with 378 yards and 10 touchdowns in the running game.
The Knights will try to get the offense going again, with Plumlee looking for his top two targets, wide receivers Javon Baker and Ryan O’Keefe. Baker has 26 catches for 411 yards and two touchdowns this season, while O’Keefe has 32 receptions for 392 yards and four scores.
Cincinnati vs UCF Game Injuries
Cincinnati vs UCF Head-To-Head
The rivalry between the Cincinnati Bearcats and UCF Knights doesn’t go back far, with the first meeting occurring in 2015, but it’s been a back-and-forth affair. Cincinnati holds the lead in the all-time series at 4-3, having won the last three matchups.
Last season saw the Bearcats romp over the Knights, 56-21, ending a two-game streak of three-point margins. The college football lines for Saturday’s contest are seeing another close contest, with the Knights slightly favored to get the win at home.
Cincinnati vs UCF Game Information
- Game: Cincinnati (6-1, 3-0 AAC) vs UCF (5-2, 2-1 AAC)
- Location: FBC Mortgage Stadium
- Day/Time: Saturday, Oct. 29th, 3:30 p.m. ET
- Cincinnati vs UCF Live Stream: ESPN
Cincinnati vs UCF Betting Lines
Cincinnati vs UCF Prediction
Cincinnati has been struggling to put teams away lately, and they’ll have some trouble against a strong UCF defense. The Knights should have just enough to pull out the home win and cover the modest spread.
When doing your college football betting, take UCF to win and cover at home.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
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