A battle between unbeaten top-10 teams takes place on Saturday when the Cincinnati Bearcats visit the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. With the Big 12 in UC’s future the program is getting some high-profile matchups and this might be the biggest. And oddsmakers like the Bearcats positioning them as slight 2-point road favorites. Despite the 41-13 lopsided score, the Irish looked vulnerable in last week’s win over Wisconsin. Quarterback Jack Coan exited with an ankle injury and the offense was stagnant. But football is a team game and the Irish got touchdowns on defense and special teams to get the cover. Notre Dame puts its 26-game home winning streak on the line against a program with plenty to prove.
This Week 5 college football matchup takes place on Saturday, October 2, 2021, at 2:30 p.m. ET at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, IN and will be televised on NBC. College football odds are available at BookMaker.eu for this and every game this season.
CFB Odds at BookMaker.eu
Cincinnati Bearcats -2
Notre Dame Fighting Irish +2
Total 49.5
Odds Analysis
It’s rare to see Notre Dame getting points at home. In fact it’s happened just twice in the last 30 games. The Irish were not fazed in those games winning outright both times, most recently last season against Clemson. The Irish improved to 4-0 this season with their neutral site victory over Wisconsin earning their second straight ATS win. They also cashed the OVER for the third time in four games. Cincinnati is coming off a bye and should be rested and prepared. They Bearcats have used a week off wisely in the past going 5-0 SU and 3-2 ATS in their previous five games following a bye. They handled their first road test of the season overcoming a 14-0 deficit to knock off Indiana 38-24 covering the 4.5-point line. UC has covered in 10 of its last 13 games against teams with a winning record.
Cincinnati Bearcats
Their win over Indiana showed us just how much the Bearcats have evolved. Falling behind by two touchdowns on the road against a Power 5 opponent they didn’t fold rather they regrouped and received solid efforts from every phase in the 38-24 victory. The spotlight shines brightest on the quarterback and Desmond Ridder made the most of his opportunities to ignite the comeback.
Ridder has thrown for 748 yards and seven touchdowns on the season with two more scores on the ground. The balanced attack averages over 420 yards while scoring 43 points per outing. Ridder was nearly the goat after a pair of turnovers led to IU scores and an early 14-0 deficit. But the Bearcats responded behind the play of their leader for their 12th straight non-bowl game win.
Ridder atoned for his early miscues by throwing a touchdown pass and running for a score in the fourth quarter as the Bearcats pulled away with 15 unanswered points. Things fell into place in the second half of third first road game with UC eliminating the mistakes that caused the offense to sputter.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Peeling away the layers from their big win over Wisconsin, you find that the Irish have a lot of work left to do. And we’ll see just how good they are over the next few weeks. They got past a scrappy Badgers club with the help of two pick-sixes and a kickoff return touchdown. They posted their highest point total in a regulation game this season with little help from the offense.
Brian Kelly tried to put to rest any rumors of a quarterback controversy by saying Coan is the starter as long as he’s healthy. You notice he gave himself an out in that statement. Coan struggled against his former club and was replaced by Drew Pyne following a leg injury. Coan was 15 of 29 for 158 yards with a touchdown before exiting. The real issue has been up front. The line allowed six sacks and the Irish managed only three net yards rushing.
Pyne played only because backup Tyler Buchner was unavailable. He looked good in his brief stint going 6 of 8 for 81 yards and a touchdown. Cincinnati takes care of the football and I don’t expect Ridder to be as generous as Graham Mertz was last week. In that case the offense needs to produce against an aggressive UC front. If not, the Irish will see their home streak end.
Cincinnati Bearcats at Notre Dame Fighting Irish Prediction
UC knows what’s at stake for their CFP chances. This is the last big test on the schedule and the Bearcats are set up nicely for an unbeaten run should they win. They also get to go against their former defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman, who joined the Irish staff over the offseason. The luck of the leprechaun runs out on the Irish this week so I’m backing the visitors minus the points.
BookMaker Pick: Cincinnati -2
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
