The Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Cincinnati Bearcats meet Saturday in college football action from Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. Here’s a Cincinnati vs Texas Tech prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Cincinnati vs Texas Tech pick.
Texas Tech Red Raiders Betting Preview
The Red Raiders have gotten through six games this year without a blemish on the card—and only one real close call among those wins. Texas Tech beat Abilene Christian in the opener, then took out Oregon State and Houston in the next pair. Since then it’s been wins over Sam Houston, Colorado and Arizona State, giving the team a 6-0 run thus far.
In the Arizona State game last weekend the Raiders jumped out to an early 21-0 lead after three unanswered TDs and were up 43-10 by the end of the first half. Texas Tech put it on cruise control after that and ended up winning big 53-25. QB Will Hammond was 18-of-26 for 232 yards and one score. J’Koby Williams added 11 carries for 165 yards and two scores.
Cincinnati Bearcats Betting Preview
Over on the Bearcats’ side, they kicked off the season on a great run but they’ve had a couple of hiccups in the last two outings. Cincinnati won four straight games out of the gate, taking out Boston College, Western Carolina, Miami-Ohio and Kansas State. Since then however, it’s been losses to Arizona and West Virginia for a 4-2 overall record this year.
In the West Virginia matchup on Saturday the Bearcats were pretty active on the scoreboard in the first half with a 21-14 edge. Cincinnati had a 42-42 tie late but ended up losing the game as time expired 45-42. QB JC French was 22-of-30 for 389 yards and three scores. Cole Tabb led the rush with 15 carries for 118 yards and a couple of touchdowns.
Cincinnati Bearcats Player Prop Facts
- JC French has thrown zero interceptions in eight consecutive games – equal-longest streak in the FBS, heading into Week 8.
Texas Tech Red Raiders Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 8, J’Koby Williams ranks T1st amongst qualified players for catch rate (100.0%) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Cincinnati ranks 1st among FBS teams for H2 points per game this season (22.5).
- Cincinnati has overturned the largest 2nd quarter deficit to win a game this season – 21 points vs Miami OH.
- Texas Tech has won the fourth quarter in each of its last five games – equal-longest active streak in the FBS.
- Texas Tech ranks T2nd among FBS teams for interceptions this season (11).
Cincinnati vs Texas Tech Prediction
I’ll take a stab on Cincinnati but you could call it either way. The Bearcats are coming off a tough loss to a decent WVU squad despite putting up 622 total yards, 233 rush yards, 28 first downs, 7-of-13 on third downs and no turnovers. Cincinnati’s defense gave up 27 first downs and 598 yards (464 passing) on the other side. The Bearcats have lost both their road games this year, so coming back to Nippert should help matters.
As for Texas Tech, they rolled right past Arizona State with 502 yards and 21 first downs last weekend but didn’t do great on third downs (4-of-11). Defensively the Raiders gave up just 5-of-14 on third downs with two picks. Texas Tech has scored 28 or more points in all six games this year so the Bearcats have their work cut out for them.