How and what to watch for South Florida vs. Cincinnati

The undefeated No. 15 Cincinnati Bearcats host the 1-1 USF Bulls this weekend at Nippert Stadium.

USF is coming off an unexpected idle week after having to postpone their match up against FAU because of COVID-19. In their last outing against Notre Dame they never really made it competitive, losing 52-0 and it could have been more. There are questions surrounding USF’s offense, and head coach Jeff Scott has already said he intends to play multiple quarterbacks this week, including QB Cade Fortin who hasn’t been available at all this year until now. The Bulls defense has potential to play very well when they’re competing against teams who are in their weight class, and this should be more of a fair fight for them.

Last week the Bearcats took down a ranked opponent in Army, who was ranked No. 22 at the time, by a score of 24-10. Quarterback Desmond Ridder had a wildly inconsistent game, missing multiple wide open receivers throughout the afternoon. He finished completing just over 50% of his passes, but still got 258 yards and two TDs. Cincinnati's defense is the real star of the show though. They held a potent Army ground game to just 183 yards. Army’s only touchdown came on a scoop and score from an unwise option pitch from Ridder to a RB.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch this American Athletic Conference game on ESPN+ Saturday at 3:30 EST.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: USF vs Cincinnati (-23)
Point Total: 47
Money line: USF (+1000), Cincinnati (-1587)

• USF is 2-4 against the spread in their last six games
• The total has gone under in five of USF’s last six games
• The total has gone under in seven of Cincinnati’s last eight games
• The under hit the last time these teams played each other in November of 2019.

The Best Bet

USF is in a total rebuild under first year head coach Jeff Scott. The defense has some potential, but the offense, particularly the passing game, has struggled over the last two seasons. The Bearcats offense has been underwhelming since last season and Ridder missed many golden opportunities last week on open throws for would-be touchdowns.

Pick: Under 47. The Bearcats might have to do all the scoring themselves and I don’t see them hanging 47 on the Bulls.

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