Bowling Green Falcons (1-0) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (0-1)
September 6, 2025 3:30 pm EDT
The Line: Cincinnati Bearcats -20; Over/Under: 49.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Bowling Green Falcons and the Cincinnati Bearcats meet Saturday in college football action from Nippert Stadium. Here’s a Cincinnati vs Bowling Green prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Cincinnati vs Bowling Green pick.
Bowling Green Falcons Betting Preview
Bowling Green had some positive happenings in their 2024 campaign, but the run ended on a down note during their bowl game berth. The Falcons would ultimately go 7-6 overall with a pretty nice 6-2 run in the Mid-American Conference. Amid some tough competition though, that result was only good for fourth place behind Miami-OH, Ohio and Buffalo. The Falcons saw a five-game win streak snapped by the RedHawks on November 29, then Bowling Green fell in their 68 Ventures Bowl appearance 38-31 versus Arkansas State.
The good news is that the Falcons are off to a nice start in 2025. Bowling Green played Lafayette in their opener last week and didn’t have too many problems. After scoring points in every quarter the Falcons ended up with a 26-7 victory. QB Drew Pyne threw for 109 yards on 12-of-18 passing, and Kaderris Roberts led the rush with 12 totes for 66 yards. RJ Garcia caught two balls for 32 yards, giving him the lead among the team’s receivers.
Cincinnati Bearcats Betting Preview
Over on the Bearcats’ side, they were looking great after seven games last year. Cincinnati held a 5-2 record by that point, but then dropped their final five outings in a late-season crash that left the team out of a bowl berth. In the Big 12 games Cincinnati went just 3-6, putting them ahead of only Houston, Utah, UCF, Arizona and Oklahoma State. Losses to Colorado, West Virginia, Iowa State, Kansas State and TCU sealed the Bearcats’ fate in the end.
Cincinnati opened up with a tough draw against Nebraska this year. The Bearcats were down 13-3 by halftime but got better in the second half. Still, Cincinnati ended up taking a 20-17 loss as the game wound down. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby rushed for both touchdowns among his 13 totes for 96 yards but didn’t throw well. Sorsby was just 13-of-25 or 69 yards and an interception through the air. Cyrus Allen caught five balls for 41 yards to lead the receivers.
Cincinnati Bearcats Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 2, Brendan Sorsby leads the Big 12 Conference for rushing touchdowns (2) this season.
Bowling Green Falcons Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 2, Finn Hogan ranks T1st amongst qualified players for catch rate (100.0%) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Cincinnati ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q1 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Cincinnati ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q3 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Bowling Green ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q1 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Bowling Green ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q2 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
Cincinnati vs Bowling Green Prediction
I’ll take a stab on Cincinnati, but I’m probably not touching this one. Granted, it’s due to varying circumstances, but neither team’s offense played all that well in their respective opening games. The Bearcats’ passing attack was troubled against a stingy Nebraska defense, as Allen and Joe Royer (three catches for 11 yards) were the only two on the team to catch more than one ball. A 69-yard total through the air isn’t going to win a lot of games, but the good news (relatively speaking) is that Cincinnati did well on the ground. The Bearcats would end up with 202 rush yards and 4.9 yards per play on average. The meager 16 first downs, 3-of-10 on third-down tries and two turnovers kept the team from staging a late comeback effort in the second half. It’s something of a wonder that Cincinnati finished within three points, as Nebraska’s offense didn’t play too badly on the other side.
All of that said, Cincinnati shouldn’t have too many issues with Bowling Green’s offensive attack. The Falcons played an overmatched Lafayette squad and controlled the ball well (zero turnovers), but a tepid 265 yards (109 passing) and a rough 5-of-14 on third-down conversions kept the game from really being a blowout. Still, Bowling Green’s defense did what they were supposed to do. The Leopards mustered just 177 total yards (118 passing), 11 first downs and 4-of-14 on third-down tries. It won’t be so easy this weekend if the Bearcats play to their capabilities.
