Oklahoma at Cincinnati

Written by Steve Janus

This Saturday the No.8 ranked Oklahoma Sooners will go on the road for the first time this season, as they get ready to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats, in the final non-conference game for both teams this season. The Sooners are coming off another close win, as they held off Air Force 27-24, while the Bearcats continue to struggle under new head coach Butch Jones, as they dropped their second game of the season last week against North Carolina State. Looking at the college football odds for the game, the oddsmakers are favoring the Sooners by 14.5-points over the Bearcats on the road.

Oklahoma (3-0): Outside of a dominating performance against Florida State in the second game of the season, the Sooners have won their other two games by a combined 10-points. It is a nice reversal of last season, where the Sooners lost four games by seven points or less. The Sooners had a 27-10 lead going into the 4th quarter against Air Force last week, but two late fourth quarter touchdowns brought the Falcons within three of a monster upset. The Sooners were however able to hold onto the ball for the final 3:39 to secure the win.

Running back DeMarco Murray continues to be a huge part of the Sooners offense this season, as he ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns against the Falcons, and added another 38 yards and a touchdown receiving. Murray now has 459 yards of total offense and 7 touchdowns in the Sooners first three games. Quarterback Landry Jones had another nice day throwing the ball, completing 26 of 42 passes for 254 yards and a score. Wide out Ryan Broyles continues to be Oklahoma’s top target on the outside, as he caught 10 passes for 116 yards, and now has 31 receptions for 382 yards and three touchdowns on the season.

Cincinnati (1-2): It has not been the start that many people expected from the Bearcats this season, as their only win so far is a blowout win over Indiana State at home. Both losses have came on the road, but both have been by at least 11-points. Last week the Bearcats were dominated on both sides of the ball by North Carolina State, as they needed two late fourth quarter touchdowns to just make the score (30-19) look respectable.

The Bearcats offense relies on the arm and legs of quarterback Zach Collaros, who had 310 yards and three touchdowns, and also led the team with 32 rushing yards against NC State. Wide out D.J. Woods turned in a nice game in the loss, as he hauled in six passes from Collaros for 146 yards and two touchdowns. It’s hard telling exactly what the Bearcats need to do to turn things around, but they have not looked good to start the season.

Looking at the Odds: This is a tough game to pick, as the Sooners have been in more close games than they have blow outs, and while the game will be played at Paul Brown Stadium (home of the Cincinnati Bengals) instead of the Bearcats home field, I think Cincinnati plays better than they have in their two road losses. I think the right play is to take the 14.5 points and bet on the Bearcats in this one, but this is one of those games that could end up going either way, as I would no be surprised to see Oklahoma run away with this one. My final score prediction is Oklahoma 31, Cincinnati 20.

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