Temple Owls vs. Cincinnati Bearcats Odds & Game Pick (2021)
The halfway point of the 2021 college football season is already here as conference play begins to ramp up across the country. In the American Athletic Conference, the #6 Bearcats lead the way as they’re widely considered the best chance a group of five teams has had to make the CFP since its inception.
Can they continue to take steps in that direction as conference play begins?
Let’s take a closer look.
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Details
- Opening Line: Cincinnati -28, O/U 54
- Current Line: Cincinnati -29, O/U 54
Overview
The Bearcats open AAC play Friday night at home, one week removed from one of their biggest wins in recent memory on the road at Notre Dame. Covering as 3-point favorites, the Bearcats are now 3-1 ATS on the season and once again proved they can get it done on both sides of the ball.
Led by a quarterback and Heisman hopeful Desmond Ridder, who has 9 touchdowns and 1,045 yards to go along with just 2 interceptions, the Bearcats now must handle business within their own conference to have a shot at the much-coveted CFP selection.
For the visiting Owls, a rough start 0-17 last week vs. Memphis was followed up by a flurry of offensive activity, tying the game just before the half before going on to win 34-31. Sophomore quarterback D’Wan Mathis had his best game of the season, as the Georgia transfer finished the day with 322 yards and a touchdown to interception ratio of 3:0.
In total this season, the Owls have clawed their way to a record of 3-2 despite a total point differential of -14, as some beat downs on Akron and Wagner have certainly helped their bottom line.
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Trends
- Owls 5-2 ATS in L7 vs. teams with winning records
- Owls 5-0 ATS in L5 vs. Bearcats
Bottom Line
Despite this being a perfect spot for a letdown from the surging Bearcats, I don’t see where the firepower comes from on the Owls to carry it through. While Mathis has been adequate through his starts this season, this team still lacks a run game to speak of and is allowing nearly 5 yards per play on average.
While we may see a concerted effort early given these two’s familiarity with one another, I like for Cinci to roll late and for this to turn into a game Ridder pads his stats in before it’s all said and done.
Pick: Bearcats -29
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Johnny Perun is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Johnny, check out his archive and follow him @JohnnyCovers.