Boston College Eagles vs Cincinnati Bearcats Picks, Odds, Birmingham Bowl Prediction 1/2/2020

Game: Boston College Eagles vs Cincinnati Bearcats

Date: Thursday, January 2, 2020

Birmingham Bowl

Location: Legion Field in Birmingham, AL

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Cincinnati -6.5

Total/Over-Under: 55

Dennis Grosel and the Boston College Eagles are headed to Legion Field on Thursday, January 2 where they'll take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in the Birmingham Bowl. The odds on this game have Cincinnati as 6.5-point favorites. The Eagles are 7-5-0 ATS and 8-4-0 when betting on the total. The Bearcats are 3-10-0 when wagering on the over/under and 8-5-0 against the spread.

In their last contest, the Boston College Eagles went up against the Pittsburgh Panthers and ended up getting the win by a score of 26-19. AJ Dillon paced the team on the ground for the game. His longest run of the day went for 61 yards and he ran for 1 TD for the game. He racked up a total of 178 yards on 32 carries which meant he averaged 5.6 yards per tote. Hunter Long was the receiving yardage leader by racking up 36 yards on 2 catches. He earned an average of 18.0 yards per reception for the game. Leading the way at QB for the Eagles was Dennis Grosel who went 9/19 with 123 yards passing and completed 1 TD. He ended the game without an interception. The Eagles ended up rushing 60 times and totaled 264 yards giving them an average of 4.4 yards per attempt. Overall, they ran 79 plays which added up to 387 yards. In the game, the Eagles got 20 first downs and they had 5 penalties for 40 yards which tells us their heads weren't always in the game. In terms of defense, Boston College allowed 30 catches on 41 tries for a total of 323 yards, and a completion percentage of 73.2%. On the ground, the Eagles allowed 71 yards on 24 tries which is an average of 3.0 yards per attempt allowed. On the day, they allowed a total of 394 yards and earned 4 turnovers.

The Eagles step onto the field holding a record of 6-6 for this year. They are one of the most potent offenses in the country with an average of 30.9 points per game, putting them 52nd in college football. As a team, they are averaging 267.4 yards on the ground per game which is 1st in the ACC. For total yards, they rank 4th in the conference and 32nd in college football with 5,410 yards. The Eagles have one of the worst defenses in college football, giving up 31.7 points per contest which has them at 12th in the conference. When it comes to passing yards, the Eagles have allowed 2,201 yards. Teams are completing 65.9% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 8.5 yards per try. In terms of rushing yards, Boston College is allowing 180.8 yards per contest ranking them 11th in the ACC and 88th in the nation. Opposing teams are running for an average of 4.6 yards per rush putting them 11th in the ACC and 88th in college football overall. In total, they have allowed 2,170 yards rushing through 12 games.

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In their last contest, the Cincinnati Bearcats faced the Memphis Tigers and lost 29-24. Desmond Ridder led the team in rushing during the game. His longest run of the day went for 49 yards and he tallied 1 TD for the contest. He racked up a total of 113 yards on 11 carries which meant he was running for 10.3 yards per carry. Alec Pierce was the leader in receiving yardage by earning 87 yards on 5 catches. He notched an average of 17.4 yards per reception during the game. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Bearcats was Desmond Ridder who went 16/36 with 233 yards through the air but didn't get a passing TD in the game. He walked away with 1 interception in the game. The Bearcats rushed the ball a total of 39 times and generated 221 yards giving them an average of 5.7 yards per attempt. In the game, they ran 75 plays for a total of 454 yards. For the contest, the Bearcats had a total of 21 first downs and they totaled 11 penalties for 70 yards which is telling in terms of discipline. When discussing the defense, Cincinnati gave up 18 catches on 40 tries totaling 253 yards, and a completion percentage of 45.0%. For the game, they gave up a total of 449 yards and forced 1 takeaway. On the ground, the Bearcats gave up 196 yards on 44 carries which is an average of 4.5 yards per rushing attempt allowed.

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The Bearcats step onto the field holding a record of 10-3. Cincinnati has built a respectable ground game this year by averaging 197.6 yards on the ground per contest, ranking them 33rd in the nation. As a team, they have a total of 2,569 rushing yards through 13 contests, so they'll look to the run game to try to keep the opponents off balance so they'll have open receivers. The Bearcats average 385 yards per game overall putting them 86th in D-1 and 10th in the American Athletic Conference. The Bearcats are giving up 21.7 points per game which puts them at 1st in the American Athletic Conference and 29th in Division 1. Their passing defense is one of the middle of the road units in Division 1. They are allowing 233.2 passing yards per game. For passing yards allowed per game, the Bearcats are currently ranked 8th in the conference. In discussing points given up, they have given up 282 total points. When talking about rushing yards, they are conceding 143.5 yards per game ranking them 49th in D-1 and 2nd in the conference. This season, they have allowed 1,866 rushing yards and 15.6 rushing TDs.

Who will win tonight's Eagles/Bearcats college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Eagles +6.5

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