Cincinnati Bearcats vs Alabama Crimson Tide Prediction, 12/31/2021 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cincinnati Bearcats vs Alabama Crimson Tide

Date: Friday, December 31, 2021

Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Crimson Tide (-14)

Total/Over-Under: 58.5

The Cincinnati Bearcats (13-0) are on their way to AT&T Stadium on Friday where they will attempt to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1) in the Cotton Bowl. Alabama is 14-point favorites. The betting total comes in at 58.5.

The Cincinnati Bearcats step onto the field holding a record of 13-0 this season. The last time they took the field, the Bearcats played the Houston Cougars and went home with a win by a final score of 35-20. Desmond Ridder finished 11/17 with 190 yds through the air and 3 TDs. He had a quarterback rating of 216.8 and ended the contest without throwing an interception. Jerome Ford was the rushing leader for the Bearcats with 18 carries for 187 yards (10.4 yds per attempt). The Cincinnati Bearcats rushed the ball a total of 28 different times and had 210 yds, which came out to an average of 7.5 yards per attempt. For the game, they had 45 plays which gave them 400 yds. Cincinnati allowed 17 completions on 26 tries for a total of 250 yds, and a completion percentage of 65.4%. When it came to the battle of the line of scrimmage, the Bearcats conceded 86 yards on 47 tries, which is 1.8 yards per run allowed.

The Bearcats have earned 5,571 total yards over the course of this year. When it comes to getting the ball in the endzone, Cincinnati has compiled 29 touchdowns through the air and 34 rushing touchdowns. They have surrendered the football 20 different times. Cincinnati has accrued 265 first downs offensively, and they have committed 96 penalties for 720 yards. As a unit they're holding an average of 179.8 yards rushing which has them sitting 50th in D-1. In terms of getting in the endzone, the Cincinnati Bearcats are sitting at 39.2 points per outing.

Concerning yards through the air, the Bearcats have given up 2,178 yds which puts them in 8th in Division 1. They have allowed 167.5 yards per outing through the air as well as conceding a completion percentage of 53.6%. In total, they have surrendered 304.9 yards per game putting them 8th in the nation. They have allowed 10 touchdowns via the pass and 14 touchdowns via the ground game. Opposing teams are running for an average of 3.3 yards per rushing attempt and 137.5 rushing yards per contest for the year. Over the course of this season, they have allowed 1,788 running yards through 13 outings. The Bearcats rank 4th in Division 1 in terms of team defense, allowing 16.1 PPG.

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The Crimson Tide head into this game 12-1 for this season. When they last played, the Crimson Tide got the victory with a final of 41-24 against the Georgia Bulldogs. Brian Robinson Jr. ran the football 16 times for 55 yards, finishing the contest with 3.4 yards per carry for Alabama. Bryce Young (3 TDs) finished the game with 421 yards on 26/44 through the air while his quarterback rating was 162.0. He kept the ball away from the defense with no picks and his average yards per pass attempt was 9.6. Alabama surrendered 30 rush attempts for 109 yards (3.6 yards per rush). The Crimson Tide pass defense allowed a completion rate of 60.4%, relinquishing 340 yards on 29 out of 48 passing. The Crimson Tide finished with a total of 536 yds on 70 plays (7.7 yds per play). Alabama ran the ball for 4.4 yards per tote, finishing with a total of 115 yds on 26 carries.

The Alabama Crimson Tide average 495.0 yards/game, which ranks them 6th in D-1. The Alabama offense has 894 yds of penalties on 94 violations, which is 16th in the country in terms of giving up free yards. For the year to this point, the Crimson Tide have compiled 4,523 passing yards in addition to holding an average of 347.9 passing yards per contest, giving them a rank of 7th in the nation. In terms of how much they score, the Crimson Tide rank 4th in college football with 42.5 PPG.

Alabama has surrendered a total of 1,058 yards on the ground (81.4 yards/game) in addition to 8 touchdowns via the rush on the year. They have allowed the opposition 23 touchdowns through the air and 223.2 yards/game, ranking them 61st in Division 1. The Crimson Tide defense has taken the field for 841 plays, which ranks 80th in Division 1. The Crimson Tide are giving up 20.2 points per contest, ranking them 20th in Division 1. This year, they have allowed 263 points in total.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Crimson Tide -14

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