Houston Cougars (1-2) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (2-1)
September 21, 2024 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: Cincinnati Bearcats -7.5 / Houston Cougars +7.5; Over/Under: +48.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Houston Cougars and the Cincinnati Bearcats meet Saturday in college football action from Nippert Stadium. Here’s a Cincinnati vs Houston prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Cincinnati vs Houston pick.
Houston Cougars Betting Preview
Houston kicked off the 2024 campaign with a couple of tricky matchups. The Cougars started out with a home game versus UNLV, eventually falling 27-7. Houston went on the road to face Oklahoma in game two and fell 16-12 despite a gritty effort against a tough opponent.
Last weekend versus Rice, the Cougars didn’t have too many issues. Houston entered the fourth quarter with a 26-0 lead and powered out the win 33-7. Donovan Smith threw for 142 yards and a score, while Stacy Sneed rushed seven times for 82 yards and a TD.
Cincinnati Bearcats Betting Preview
Over on the Bearcats’ side, they faced off against Towson in their opener this year. Cincinnati would come away with a 38-20 win to start the season off well. Game two was a tough loss, however, as the Bearcats fell to Pittsburgh 28-27 for their first defeat.
In the Miami-OH matchup last weekend, the Bearcats were ahead by a slim 17-10 margin by the fourth quarter and pulled out the win 27-16. Brendan Sorsby posted 186 yards and a TD. Corey Kiner led the rushing attack on 126 yards and a score off 21 totes.
Why the Cincinnati Bearcats will win
- Cincinnati has won 53 of its last 57 games as a favorite.
- Houston has lost each of its last four road games in September.
- Cincinnati has covered the spread in each of its last four games against Houston.
- Houston has failed to cover the spread in three of its last four September road games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Houston has lost the first half in three of its last four road games against conference opponents.
Why the Houston Cougars will win
- Cincinnati has lost each of its last six home games against conference opponents.
- The road team has won three of Cincinnati’s last four games.
- Cincinnati has failed to cover the spread in eight of its last nine home games against conference opponents.
- The road team has covered the spread in each of Cincinnati’s last four games.
- Cincinnati has lost the first half in each of its last six home games against conference opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Houston’s last nine September road games against non-AP-ranked teams has gone OVER the total points line.
- Eight of Cincinnati’s last 10 September games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.
Cincinnati vs Houston Prediction
I’ll stick with Cincinnati. I could probably go either way here, though. The Bearcats had a pretty steady offensive attack versus Miami-OH last weekend, notching 215 rush yards (401 total), 20 first downs, and a solid 7-of-15 on third-down tries. Cincinnati did cough up 356 yards through the air, however.
As for Houston, they didn’t have too many issues with Rice. The Cougars held the Owls to just 159 total yards (84 passing) and nine first downs. I’d like to see Cincinnati get a little more well-rounded offensively with some bigger passing numbers here. If they can keep Houston guessing I like the Bearcats on a cover.
