We head to the Uptown New Orleans on Saturday where the No. 2 Cincinnati Bearcats will invade Yulman Stadium to meet the Tulane Green Wave. The game will kick off at noon ET on ESPN2.
Cincinnati (7-0, 3-0 AAC) was able to get out of Annapolis still perfect on the year with a 27-20 victory over Navy last Saturday. It was a typical game against a triple-option foe as Navy held possession for over 39 minutes of action. Desmond Ridder, Jerome Ford, and the offense managed to score touchdowns on their first two possessions of the first half to take a 27-10 lead and forced the Midshipmen to try to play catch up for the rest of the way.
Tulane’s (1-6, 0-3 AAC) season has gone off the rails, with four of their last five losses coming by at least three scores. Their latest loss was a 55-26 loss to ranked SMU, one where they lost starting quarterback Michael Pratt to a concussion. Pratt is questionable for this matchup against the Bearcats and the signs are pointing towards Kai Horton getting the start.
Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!
SP+ Rankings
Cincinnati: 13th overall, 38th offense, 9th defense
Tulane: 93rd overall, 48th offense, 117th defense
Injury update
Cincinnati
No new injuries to report
Tulane
QB Michael Pratt Questionable - Concussion
ATS/Total
Against The Spread
Cincinnati: 5-2 ATS
Tulane: 2-5 ATS
Total
Cincinnati: Over 4-3
Tulane: Over 6-1
Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports
Cincinnati: 48th overall, 50th offense, 50th defense
Tulane: 79th overall, 88th offense, 75th defense
Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Cincinnati -26.5
Total: 61.5
Moneyline: Cincinnati -3000, Tulane +1300
Opening line: Cincinnati -24.5
Opening total: 64
Weather
71 degrees, 9 Winds WNW, 5% chance of rain
The Pick
Cincinnati -26.5
It’s been established that Cincinnati needs dominant victories to maintain their status near the top of the polls, and this will be the perfect opportunity to do it with the first College Football Playoff rankings being released on Tuesday. With the reeling Green Wave possibly rolling out a freshman QB for this one, this could get ugly fast.
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