Cincinnati @ BYU College Football Lines Report

Cincinnati @ BYU College Football Lines Report

Written by on October 16, 2015

The Brigham Young Cougars (4-2) will be facing another tough test against the American Athletic Conference program Cincinnati Bearcats (3-2) on Friday. The Cougars had tough outing last week, but managed to edge past East Carolina by a last-minute TD at home. Another win in this week’s NCAA Football odds would take their winning streak to three. Meanwhile, the Bearcats are coming off a bye week and are hoping that the extra rest will enable them to stage a road upset at the LaVell Edwards Stadium. Let’s find out which team looks most likely to claim the victory in this matchup.

How To Bet the Cincinnati @ BYU NCAA Football Lines & Game Information

Venue: LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT Date: Friday, October 16, 2015 Time: 8:00 PM ET TV: ESPN

Betting on BYU

The Cougars are ridding on a two game winning streak, thanks to wins over East Carolina and Connecticut, respectively. They are coming off a 45-38 win over East Carolina, despite getting torched for 518 yards of total offense, including 385 in the air. Offensively, backup QB, Tanner Mangum, who has completed 62.5 percent of his passes with nine touchdown passes and five INTs so far this campaign, leads BYU’s offense after the starting QB got injured early in the season. In the previous game, Mangum was big for his team, as he completed 24 of his 33 passes for 332 yards and 3 TDs. Unfortunately for the Cougars ahead of this week’s game, Mangum suffered a hamstring injury last week, and is considered questionable for Friday’s game. His absence could be a huge blow to BYU’s offense that is already wounded from a number of key injuries on the season. If Mangum is unavailable, all eyes will be on RB Algernon Brown, who also had a big game against ECU,  posting 134 rushing yards and four TDs on 24 attempts. In that game, BYU blew out a 17-point lead and ECU tied the scores 38-38, but Brown came to the rescue, scoring his fourth touchdown of the game with 19 seconds left. Defensively, the Cougars are allowing 26.3 points per game and 400.7 YPG. The defense has also recorded 10 interceptions, three fumble recoveries and 16 sacks this season. Moreover, the Cougars defense averages the 23rd-most turnovers with 2.2 per game, which is the key reason they’ve struggled against teams that are able to punish such mistakes. This defense will need to tighten things up, especially in regards to giving up cheap points like they did against ECU last weekend and nearly suffered an upset.

Betting on Cincinnati

The Bearcats offense is impressively averaging 39 points and 586.8 yards per game, but has been guilty of turning the ball over too many times (15 times so far this season). Both Hayden Moore and Gunner Kiel are still competing for the starting QB job with neither being impressive enough to remain a regular starter. However, the Bearcats have been able to do enough to get victories. In their last outing two weeks ago, the Bearcats beat Miami 34-23. Moore led the offense against Miami completing 22 of his 33 passes for 279 yards with two TDs and an INT. Shaq Washington also had a big game for Cincinnati, totaling eight receptions for 106 yards, while Mekale McKay added 91 receiving yards and a TD on 4 receptions. The Bearcats also have their fair share of injury concerns, including receivers Chris Moore (leg) and Johnny Holton (leg) along with starting RB Mike Boone (ankle), who are all questionable for Friday’s games. On the D-line, the Bearcats are allowing 30.6 PPG and 397.4 YPG this campaign. Concerning as those numbers are, the defense stepped up against Miami, holding them to three field goals with just two TDs. Nevertheless, Cincinnati is among the most penalized teams in Division I, recording 72 penalty yards per game, something that will need to change against their more disciplined counterparts who are good at feeding off opponents’ mistakes.

Key Betting Trends

  • The Cougars are 4-2 ATS in their last six games
  • The Bearcats are 2-4-1 ATS in their last seven games
  • The Cougars are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games
  • The Bearcats are 10-3 SU in their last 13 games
  • The Cougars are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games at home
  • The Bearcats are 5-1 ATS in their last six games on the road
  • The Cougars are 5-0 SU in their last five games at home
  • The Bearcats are 5-1 SU in their last six games on the road
  • The total has gone OVER in six of BYU’s last eight games at home
  • The total has gone UNDER in four of Cincinnati’s last six games on the road

BYU vs. Cincinnati Game Prediction

This will be a tough game for the Bearcats due to the several injuries that the program is currently experiencing. However, they will have an upper hand in this game since they have had over two weeks to prepare. Meanwhile, the Cougars have had a good recent run, but could have it rough if Mangum fails to recover in time. Freshman Beau Hoge, who has completed just one of his five passes for nine yards and a pick in relief time, will not be able to match Mangum performance. All in all, this will a close game, with BYU having a chance to win if Mangum recovers by Friday. However, if he fails to recover on time, the Bearcats should be good for an outright win that will come quite easily.