Big East NCAA Football Previews- Cincinnati vs Pitt
The Cincinnati Bearcats will try and take another step closer to winning this season’s Big East title when they travel to Heinz Field this Saturday night for a showdown with the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Date/Time: Saturday, Nov. 5 7 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA.
Broadcast: ESPNU
Bearcats at Panthers lines by BetOnline.com
Point spread: Bearcats -2.5
Over/Under: 54
The game is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
Cincinnati has reeled off five straight wins including a 37-34 victory over South Florida last Saturday as a three-point road underdog to move to 6-1 straight-up (5-2 against the spread) overall and 2-0 SU in the conference. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of its first seven games.
The Bearcats have returned to the top of the Big East behind an offense that is averaging 41 points a game combined with a defense that is giving-up an average of just 19 points. The main cog in the offensive attack has been a ground game that is averaging 200 yards a game led by Isaiah Pead’s 6.2 yards per carry.
Pittsburgh’s season has spiralled downward with four losses in its last six games, but a 35-20 victory over Connecticut as a 10-point home favorite last week has it right in the thick of the conference title race. The Panthers have an overall record of just 4-4 SU (3-5 ATS), but at 2-1 SU in conference play, they can still earned the automatic BCS bowl berth if they win out. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
To do that, Pitt will need a much better effort from an offense that is ranked 69th in the nation in scoring with an average of 26.5 points a game. The defense has been a little better; giving-up an average of 23.5 points a game, which is ranked 44th.
The Bearcats are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 conference games and the total has stayed ‘under’ in five of their last seven games in the Big East.
The Panthers are 14-5 ATS in their last 19 games played in the conference. The total has stayed under in five of their last seven November games.
Head-to-head, Cincinnati is 1-5 ATS in the last six meetings but 2-1 SU in the last three including a 45-44 win as a 1.5-point road favorite in its last trip to Heinz Field. Stick with the Bearcats to win on the road again in a game that covers the 2.5-point spread.
The Pick: Cincinnati 26 Pittsburgh 23
