Temple vs. Cincinnati Pick
Will two struggling football teams continue to struggle to put up points when Cincinnati hosts Temple Friday night at 7PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Temple is favored on the road, as the Owls are getting odds of -2.5 points against Cincinnati. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 47.5 points. Temple has won the last two meetings with Cincinnati and the two have hit the under in three of their last five meetings. The public is currently putting 76 percent of the wagers on Temple on the road. Friday’s game takes place from Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The contest will air live on ESPN2.
Temple is coming off its biggest win of the season, beating Navy 34-26 at home last week. The Owls are now 5-4 overall and 2-3 in conference play. The Owls are 6-3 with the under this year, hitting the over in their last two games. Temple hasn’t had a great deal of success on offense this year, averaging 22.3 points and 374.9 yards per game. Logan Marchi has been dealing with an injury that has him questionable to play on Friday. He has 1,658 passing yards with nine TD and eight INT. Ryquell Armstead is the leading rusher with 454 yards and three touchdowns while Isaiah Wright has 33 receptions and 502 yards with three touchdowns. Defensively, Temple is giving up 26.8 points and 393.8 yards per game.
Cincinnati is coming off a 17-16 win at Tulane last week to snap a five-game losing streak. The Bearcats are 3-6 overall and 1-4 in the AAC. They are 5-3-1 with the under this season, hitting it in their last three games. Cincinnati has struggled on offense this season, averaging 20.6 points and 350.6 yards per game. Hayden Moore has thrown for 1,959 yards and 13 touchdowns this year and also has seven INT. Gerrid Doaks has 500 yards rushing with two TD while Kahlil Lewis has 48 catches for 444 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, Cincy is allowing 30.9 points and 409.6 yards per game. Their run defense is allowing 201.6 yards per contest.
This game looks to be a battle of two respectable defenses against two poor offenses. The under has certainly been hot for Temple, as they have hit it in nine of their last 10 conference games and in six straight against losing teams. Cincinnati has hit the under in 12 of its last 16 at home and 20 of its last 26 against losing teams. I don’t see either offense finding their groove on Friday night.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: TEMPLE/CINCINNATI UNDER 47.5