There have been some nutty lines this College Football season, and this one takes the cake.
Cincinatti by 15 1/2 over Fresno State ? What. That is just crazy.
Fresno State is as good of a team as Cincinatti. I dont care about the rankings, I think we have seen what rankings mean during the first 3 weeks.
Freson State has a powerful offense that has 8 starters back from last years team. This offense was not shut down 1 time last year. This offense averaged 30 points a game last year, and it is averaging 40 points a game this year.
Fresno State just put up 34 points on Boise State. Get this. In the 15 games Boise State played last year and this year they held 10 of those 15 opponents to 10 points or less. They held 13 of those 15 opponents to 17 or less. That is how awesome the Boise State Defense is. Fresno put up 34 on them. Before the Fresno State game, Boise State has given up 8 points in 2 games. Fresno scored over 4 times that.
Oregon scored 8 on Boise. Fresno State scored 34.
In the last 2 seasons, Fresno State is 8-8. Boise State is the ONLY team to beat Fresno State by 14 points in the last 2 seasons. The Bulldogs always lose close. They have lost by 3, 3, 1, 5, 3, 3 and 5 since last season. Boise State is in fact, the only team to beat Fresno State by more than 5 points last year or this year.
The Bulldogs are a much better team than their record indicates. They play everyone tough but always lose close games. The Bulldogs have a 2 dimensional offense that the Bearcats will not be able to stop. QB Colburn has averaged about 300 yeards per game passing.
The Bulldogs have also been tearing it up on the ground. Mathews this year has 49 rushing attempts for 447 years. That is a 9 yard average. He averaged 12 1/2 yards per rush against Boise with 3 big TD runs. He averaged 6 yards a rush against Wisconsin.
Cincinatti returns 1 starter on defense this year and they havent played anyone this year. I dont care that Oregon State was ranked, Oregon State sucks. They got ranked after beating Portland State 34-7. Montana State beat Portland State by more than that. The Bearcats are ranked because they are 3-0. They have played 3 cupcakes. Yes Rutgers is way down this year, do I even have to mention SE Missouri State, and Oregon State should never have been ranked.
The Bearcats gave up 14 to Rutgers and 18 to Oregon State. Now they are playing a Fresno State offense that averaged over 30 last year and 40 so far this year.
Fresno State is traveling 2000 miles east. They did it 2 weeks ago as well. They lost by 3 points in 2OT at Wisconsin. They did it last year and won by 17 points at Rutgers. I dont think the traveling justifies the Bearcats as a 15 1/2 point favorite here.
I think the Bulldogs should win this game outright, but they seem to always lose the close games so I wont say it, I will just say this. Cincinatti is not going to beat the Bulldogs by 15 1/2 points.