Rockets vs Huskies NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
Northern Illinois is back in the same position they seemingly are in every year. Northern Illinois sits at the top of the MAC standings with a record of 6-0 in the league.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Cincinnati Bearcats
Nippert Stadium
Saturday November 17, 12:00 PM EST on Big East Network
College Football Betting Odds from Bookmaker
Moneyline: Off
College Football Spread: Cincinnati -6.5 (-110) vs. Rutgers +6.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 47
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Rutgers has been one of the biggest surprises in the country this season. Greg Schiano is now in Tampa Bay, but the Scarlet Knights have continued on with a hugely successful year. Rutgers comes into this one at 8-1 and ranked 22nd in the country. Cincinnati enters at 7-2, and the Bearcats are 6-0 at home this season. Cincinnati is nearly a touchdown favorite here. Let’s take a look at this Big East matchup.
Rutgers
How has Rutgers put together such a big season once again in 2012? It has been their stellar defense leading the way all season long. Rutgers is 14th in the nation in total defense, and they are fifth in the nation in points allowed per game.
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Opponents are only scoring 13.4 points per contest on this tough Scarlet Knights defense. This is a well-balanced defense that has fared well against both running and passing teams. In addition, they are very opportunistic. Not many people expected this defense to be so tough.
Gary Nova is a huge key to the Rutgers offense success. Nova has had one really bad game this year, and that was the game that Rutgers lost. Nova threw six interceptions in the team’s loss to Kent State. Excluding that game, Nova has thrown 16 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions. Jawan Jamison is the team’s leading rusher, but Savon Huggins showed he is capable of stepping in and providing the team with a nice option at tailback as well. Rutgers is averaging 26.2 points per game.
Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Bearcats have made a change at the quarterback position. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Munchie Legeaux was turning the ball over too much, and the Bearcats have decided to go with Brendon Kay under center. Kay was spectacular in last week’s win at Temple, but he’ll face a much tougher test this weekend when Cincinnati plays against a very good Rutgers defense. Kay has rushed for 138 yards on only 15 carries, so his running ability is definitely a plus for this team. Cincinnati hasn’t been able to throw the ball down the field much this year, which has allowed opponents to sit on their short yardage passing game too often. The Bearcats average 34.2 points per game.
Cincinnati’s defense has given up a decent amount of yards, but they have been great at keeping their opponent out of the end zone. Cincinnati has a good pass rush which can really make life difficult on the opposing quarterback. This unit has done a great job bearing down and forcing field goal attempts instead of touchdowns, which is a large reason why the team is 7-2 right now.
Rutgers has been underrated all year, and I don’t think the oddsmakers are giving them enough credit in this one. Look for this game to go right down to the wire.
Free College Football Pick: Rutgers +6.5
