Cincinnati vs Tulsa. Preview and Prediction, Head to Head (H2H), Team Comparison and Statistics. 2021-01-02 Prediction, H2H, Tip and Match Preview. Cincinnati Bearcats vs Tulsa Golden Hurricane Odds - Saturday December 12 2020. Live betting odds and lines, betting trends, against the spread and over/under trends, injury reports and matchup stats for bettors. Cincinnati vs Tulsa Odds, Spread, Prediction, Date & Start Time for College Football Week 7 Game October 14 Staff SportsGrid Cincinnati vs Tulsa Week 7 Game Info.
- Cincinnati Vs Tulsa Score Prediction
- Cincinnati Vs Tulsa Prediction Picks And Parlays
- Cincinnati Vs Tulsa Prediction 2020
- Cincinnati Vs Tulsa Prediction 2020
- Cincinnati Vs Tulsa Prediction Athlon
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane and Cincinnati Bearcats made it to the AAC Championship on Saturday. I don’t want to say that Cincinnati getting to the conference championship is surprising, but Tulsa might be slightly surprising. This is a conference that includes Memphis, SMU, and UCF, so it’s kind of surprising to see a matchup featuring Tulsa and Cincinnati.
In a season like this, nothing should come as a surprise, though. I’m looking forward to next fall when we’ll have some form of normalcy in college football. At least teams will have a full schedule, and players will presumably be vaccinated since then. Hopefully Covid outbreaks in locker rooms will be a thing of the past. Tulsa and Cincinnati both deserve to be in this game. Let’s get that much clear.
This isn’t an Oregon situation where the conference championship fell into their laps. Tulsa and Cincinnati are both ranked, with the Golden Hurricane the No. 24 team in the nation against the No. 9 at home. The Bearcats are looking to stay undefeated in the AAC Championship tonight. They are a perfect 8-0 and are in a position to get a great bowl invite if they win.
Motivation might be a problem for some teams this late in the season, but for Cincinnati, they’re going to be into this game and would gladly accept a bowl invite to a big game. It will be imperative not to overlook the 6-1 Golden Hurricane, though. Tulsa has looked terrific at times and are going to be fired up to be in this spot as well. They will have to earn the championship against a very dangerous Cincinnati team in their own backyard. Head below for our free Tulsa vs. Cincinnati pick for December 19, 2020.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Cincinnati Bearcats AAC Championship Betting Odds:
Tulsa vs. Cincinnati Prediction:
Ball State’s win over Buffalo in the MAC Championship should be a clear message to Cincinnati. They shouldn’t take Tulsa lightly despite entering Saturday night as a sizable favorite. Tulsa goes into Saturday on a six-game winning streak. Their only loss this season was in the opener against a Big 12 opponent.
Oklahoma State found Tulsa a little tougher than they anticipated. Tulsa didn’t win, but they hung in there for a 16-7 defeat. Since then, Tulsa has been perfect, though there have been some close calls. Tulsa needed overtime to beat Tulane, 30-24, and came 4 points away from losing to East Carolina, 34-30, and Navy, SMU, 28-24. They’re coming off a textbook 19-6 win over Navy on December 5.
Tulsa is based around their defense. If they don’t show up tonight, then Cincinnati can name the score at home. The Golden Hurricane have conceded 329.4 yards and 19.9 points per game in 2020. Quarterback Zach Smith has been serviceable enough to help move the ball and allow the defense to win games. Smith has passed for 11 touchdowns and 6 interceptions on 57.8% completions. Tulsa has averaged 27.7 per game in 2020.
Cincinnati’s defense will be by far the most difficult he’s faced this season. The Bearcats have allowed just 308.1 yards and 15 points per game. They’ve been especially good against the pass, with 195.6 yards allowed through the air. Cincinnati holds more of an advantage offensively. The Bearcats have been rolling on offense, with an average of 40.9 points scored per game.
Bearcats’ quarterback, Desmond Ridder, can be a load to handle. Even some good defenses have been abused by Ridder’s ability through the air and ground. Ridder is a dual-threat, and should be able to have a productive game versus Tulsa. He has passed for 16 touchdowns and 6 interceptions on 66.5% completions. Ridder has also gained 526 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. Tulsa are a good team, but Cincinnati are in a league of their own in the AAC. I see a 30-13 win in favor of the Bearcats to win and cover.
Editor’s note: The AAC announced that this game has been postponed after the Cincinnati Bearcats saw a surge in positive COVID-19 tests this week. Cincinnati-Tulsa is tentatively rescheduled for December 5th.
Tulsa is getting lots of love after upsetting UCF. Should we ride the hype and expect an easy cover on the best betting sites against the Bearcats?
Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
Saturday, October 17, 2020 – 12:00 PM EDT at Chapman Stadium
Key Handicapping Strategy
With our College Football Betting Picks, we need to keep in mind that this game will come down to which team does a better job running the ball. While Cincinnati owns the nation’s 21st-highest run-play percentage, Tulsa ranks 26th in the category.
Neither team wants to rely too heavily on the passing ability of its respective starting quarterback. Instead, each team features a collection of running backs who 'carry' primary responsibility for moving the offense forward.
Naturally, the first thing that we should want to look at is each team’s run defense stats. The problem with this natural inclination is the following: each team’s run defense ranks quite similarly. Also, given each team’s specific circumstances until now, it’s too early in the season to glean much from each team’s run defense rankings.
In terms of run defense, the Bearcats rank poorly because they had to contend with Army’s triple-option offense. Also, Austin Peay accumulated massive gains during garbage time in the fourth quarter. Likewise, Tulsa’s run defense had to deal with Oklahoma State and its elite running back. Plus, it faced UCF last week, which was only its second game of the season.
It would be similarly unfair and deceptive to punish Tulsa for ranking poorly in run defense. So what do we do?
Personnel: Tulsa
We have to dig deeper and look into the players on both defensive lines. In analyzing personnel, it emerges that one team will have a clear advantage in its run-stopping prerogative: Cincinnati.
During the offseason, the Golden Hurricane defensive line lost two starters, both stalwarts, both hard to replace. Keep in mind that, on defense, Tulsa functions as a 3-3-5. So losing two defensive linemen means that Tulsa loses 66 percent of last year’s starters on this unit.
Trevis Gipson was one starter. He was drafted in the fifth round by the Chicago Bears. Shemarr Robinson was the other starter on the defensive line, who moved on during the offseason. Gipson’s replacement is Cullen Wick. Wick really exemplifies the regression that Tulsa undergoes at defensive end.
Whereas Gipson accrued 15 tackles for loss last season, Wick still has zero. Wick, who was Gipson's backup last year, is nowhere near the disruptive force that Gipson was. At nose guard, the main problem is depth. There is little of it, and the depth that the Golden Hurricanes bring at this position remains very young, green, and unproven.
In terms of personnel, Tulsa’s run defense looks vulnerable because of its deficiencies on the defensive line. Its linebacking corps also tries to regroup after losing two starters.
Cincinnati Vs Tulsa Score Prediction
Cincinnati’s Superior Run Defense Personnel
Cincinnati Vs Tulsa Prediction Picks And Parlays
Compared to Tulsa’s, Cincinnati’s defensive line looks stacked with depth and quality. Two defensive linemen earned spots on Athlon’s All-AAC Preseason First Team: Elijah Ponder and Myjai Sanders.
Cincinnati Vs Tulsa Prediction 2020
Ponder was also an All-AAC first-team honoree. The Bearcat defensive tackle specializes in stopping the run as evidenced, partly, by his 7.5 tackles for loss last season. In the end position, Sanders is a disruptive force with his length and skill set. He’s leading the team with four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Sanders was and is a consistent, game-by-game force who will reliably win his battles in the trenches.
A perusal of the team’s defensive line depth chart shows a lot of proven producers who are reliably disruptive and aren’t even starters. At linebacker, Jarell White is another force who’s earned preseason accolades as well as 2020 weekly honors. He stood out for his run-stopping ability by amassing 15 tackles against Army’s difficult option run game.
Cincinnati Offense vs. Tulsa Defense
The Bearcat offensive scheme is distinguished with its variety both in play-calling and personnel. Cincinnati will showcase everything: four-to-five wide receiver sets, bunch formations, options, tempo, non-tempo, and so forth.
Starting running back Gerrid Doaks is coming off a 100-yard rushing effort on 22 carries last week against South Florida. While he enjoys plenty of depth behind him, one can’t discount the running ability of quarterback Desmond Ridder, who averages 4.7 YPC. As evident by completion percentage, for example, Ridder has improved his accuracy and efficiency as a passer.
Cincinnati Vs Tulsa Prediction 2020
It helps him that he has a number of very able pass-catchers to throw to. One of those is Doaks who has 130 receiving yards off of six receptions with his big-play ability. He exemplifies the versatility, the pass-catching prowess of Cincinnati running backs that makes them more multivalent in their production than Tulsa’s.
Tulsa’s lack of depth on the defensive line will be exploited by the Bearcats’ depth at running back while Tulsa’s loss of two starters both at the linebacker and safety positions damage their chances against the Bearcats’ extended pass-catching options particularly out of the backfield.
Cincinnati Vs Tulsa Prediction Athlon
The Verdict
I get that Tulsa is a sexy betting option after its upset win last week. However, the Bearcats will more than double the short spread with its prowess on the ground, its high-quality range of ability in the trenches on defense, and with its versatility in scheme and passing.
Place your bets at any time. I imagine that the line may go down at the top sportsbooks as bettors remain in love with the Golden Hurricanes. So I am thrilled to take Cincinnati ATS. But I may also be able to add a Bearcats ML bet later in the week if the price is right.
Best Bet: Bearcats -4 at -110 with Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)