Cincinnati at Syracuse Spread

Written October 29, 2009 by Kyle Hunter

The Cincinnati Bearcats are rolling right now and they have a legitimate chance to play in national title game if they take care of their business and win out. Some of the teams in front of them will have to lose, but as we have seen in past years, it could definitely happen. Tony Pike is unlikely to play in this one, but the Bearcats have looked good even in his absence. This week they will take on the Syracuse Orange, who have been much more competitive this year.

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Zach Collaros is likely to be the starter for Saturday’s game and Collaros has proven he can do a very good job for the Bearcats. Collaros has a strong arm, but is most potent when he uses his feet. Collaros is averaging 8.7 yards per rush even when you include yards lost when he is sacked. Collaros has thrown 5 touchdowns and just a single interception. Isaih Pead and Jacob Ramsey both average more than 6 yards per carry, so if they need to Cincinnati has proven they can run the football as well. Expect to see more running plays than normal with Tony Pike out with his arm injury. Mardy Gilyard is the big play threat for the offense, he has 8 touchdowns already this season. Overall Cincinnati’s offense is getting it done, averaging 41 points per game. Though they receive little attention the Bearcats defense is an impressive unit this year as well. They are allowing just 13.7 points per game and are strong against both the run and the pass.

Syracuse has a new quarterback this year in ex-Duke basketball player Greg Paulus. Paulus has shown his ability plenty of times this season, but he has also proven prone to the turnover. Paulus is completing 64.5% of his passes, but he has thrown 10 interceptions already this season. The Orange have been unable to get a consistent rushing attack going in most of their big games this season, which has definitely allowed defenses to tee off on Paulus. Mike Williams is the play maker at wide receiver. Williams has 45 receptions and 6 touchdowns already this year. The Syracuse defense has been susceptible to proficient passing quarterbacks this season, allowing 271 yards per game through the air. The defense allows 27 points per game.

The college football odds show Cincinnati as a 15 point road favorite in this matchup. The posted total is set at 52 points. The Bearcats are 5-2 against the spread in their last 7 road games and their last 7 games overall. The Orange are 5-2 in their last 7 as a home underdog. The under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings between these two teams.

Most experts college football picks for this weekend are showing the Bearcats to win this one, and I see no reason to disagree with that. Collaros has done a great job under center for the Bearcats and they simply will have far too much firepower for the Syracuse team to keep up with. Look for the Bearcats to cover the spread and win handily in this Big East matchup. The single best pick for this game is Cincinnati -15. For more expert football picks, be sure to check out our leading handicappers.

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