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Cincinnati vs. Louisville Odds, Picks, Predictions College Football: Fenway Bowl Features Coaching Changes

Top college football picks for the Fenway Bowl between Cincinnati and Louisville on Saturday, Dec. 17.

Mike Spector

Last updated: October 8, 2025 11:09 AM EDT • 4 min read

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A recent coaching change will be at the forefront of Saturday's Fenway Bowl between Cincinnati and Louisville. Check out our top Cincinnati-Louisville college football picks for the Fenway Bowl based on the best odds.

Former Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield went 25-24 in 49 games with the Cardinals, including a 1-1 record in bowl games. However, he is now off to Cincinnati to fill the head coaching vacancy left by Luke Fickell, who the Wisconsin Badgers hired. Satterfield has removed himself from all bowl preparation for either team and is instead using this time for recruiting visits.

On the field, this is a matchup of a Cincinnati team (9-3, 6-2) that missed out on a chance to compete for the AAC championship after losing to Tulane in the regular-season finale. Meanwhile, Louisville (7-5, 4-4) was competitive in an ACC Atlantic division that finished the year with three teams ranked in the AP Poll.

Here is our best Cincinnati vs. Louisville college football pick (odds via FanDuel Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Check out our college football best bets and all of our top picks and predictions for bowl season.

Cincinnati vs. Louisville Game Info

Date: Saturday, Dec. 17, 11 a.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Location: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Weather: 40 degrees, 48% chance of precipitation, 15 mph W wind

Cincinnati vs. Louisville Odds

Cincinnati vs. Louisville Odds Analysis

Louisville was opened as a 2.5-point favorite in this matchup but has dropped to -2 on the spread as of Saturday morning. The Cardinals have drawn 52% of the tickets but that same share of the betting handle sides with the Bearcats.

The Over/Under has plummeted from the consensus opening line of 45. As of Saturday morning, the market consensus has the line at 39. While 55% of the tickets are on the over, those account for just 69% of the handle.

Cincinnati vs. Louisville Pick

Under 41.5 ★★★

Between weather concerns and questions surrounding each team’s quarterback, we expect a defensive struggle. The predicted rain showers could stop by the end of the game, but each team will still have to deal with wind gusts of 15-plus mph. In addition, Bearcats quarterback Evan Prater will make just his second career start in relief of Ben Bryant, who suffered a late season-ending foot injury. Prater has attempted 51 passes this season and completed just 10 of his 26 attempts in the team’s biggest game against Tulane.

Cincinnati would prefer to use Prater’s legs to move the football (18 carries for 83 yards against the Green Wave). Still, Louisville’s defense practiced against one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the country in Malik Cunningham all season. Cunningham ranked second on the team with 565 rushing yards. Meanwhile, Cunningham was battling a shoulder injury the last few weeks and did not even start the regular-season finale, though he came on in relief of an ineffective Brock Domann.

Lastly, with each team having their head coaches take other jobs before the bowl game, it brings into question their ability to prepare for this game. Thus, we expect the defenses to be ahead of the offenses.

Cincinnati vs. Louisville Best Odds

FanDuel (-110)

BetMGM	Caesars	DraftKings	FanDuel	PointsBet
U 41.5 (-110)	U 41 (-110)	U 41 (-110)	U 41.5 (-110)	U 41 (-110)

Under backers have their choice of FanDuel or BetMGM for the best remaining number. Given that the total shaded so much to the Under at this point, bettors may want to lock in those bets now since there has not appeared to be much buyback on the Over since the lines were posted.

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Written By:
Mike Spector

Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike leans on his NFL experience and always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”