Cincinnati Bearcats
vs.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
By Jason Green
11/26/16
Well, Cincinnati is probably happy the season is coming to an end after this Game. They are a disappointing 4-7 and they have dropped 4 in a row. They rank last in the FBS in points per Game and in their last 3 Games they have only totaled 13 points. Their defense has not been that bad as of late, but you typically have to Scorepoints in order to win.
Tulsa has had a solid season, but since they lost to Navy they will not be playing in the AAC championship Game. They have won 4 of 5 Games and they have a dynamic offense that ranks 12th in the country in terms of points per Game. They will be playing in a bowl Game in the post-season and if they can get to 9 wins it will only look better on their resume.
Cincy lost to Memphis 34-7 in their last Game, which is actually the more points than they scored in their previous 2 Games combined. In the Game they did not cover the spread as a 7-point home underdog.
Tulsa beat Central Florida 35-20 on the road in their last Game and they covered the spread as a 1-point underdog.
I mentioned that Cincinnati’s defense has not been that bad and even though they gave up 34 points in their last Game their 3 turnovers were key in that. They only were outgained by 87 yards, but they could not get going on offense, yet again with only 244 total yards. QB Hayden Moore passed for 144 yards in the Game with 2 INT and 1 TD and the lead RB on the season Tion Green only rushed for 41 yards.
One thing the Bearcats have going for them is that the Tulsa D is not a good one. They are giving up an average of 31 points per Game and do not rank in the top 73 in the nation in pass or run defense.
Tulsa blew up on the ground in their win over Central Florida with 348 rushing yards. D’Angelo Brewer and James Flanders combined to rush for over 330 yards and they had 3 TD, Flanders is the lead rusher for the season and in the last 4 Games he has rushed for at least 163 yards 3 times. QB Dane Evans has been a good Game manager, but has not put up big numbers since the Golden Hurricane are mostly about the run. The Bearcats rank 63rd in the nation defending the pass and 74th defending the run.
Cincy is 0-5 ATS vs. a team with a winning record, 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Games overall, and in their last 5 Games on the road the posted total has gone Under 4 times.
Tulsa is 6-0 ATS in their last 6 Games overall, 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home Games, and in their last 9 Games the posted total has gone Over 7 times.
Jason’s Pick: Even giving 22.5 points it is not a tough call to take Tulsa. They have an explosive offense and are at home and Cincy cannot Scorelately and they only have 1 win in Conference play. Take the Golden Hurricane to win and cover in this regular season finale.