By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Game Info
SMU Mustangs vs #5 Cincinnati Bearcats
Saturday – November 20 – 2:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Nippert Stadium – Cincinnati, OH
Records Before the Game
SMU Mustangs (8-2, 4-2)
#5 Cincinnati Bearcats (10-0, 6-0)
Both teams are in the American Athletic Conference and the Bearcats are number 2 in conference behind Houston. The Cougars are also undefeated in conference and have already played one more conference game than the Bearcats, hence their conference lead. SMU is in third place behind Cincinnati. Believe it or not, the whole country has been waiting to see this game. SMU has dropped a couple of games in their last five, while the Bearcats are sitting in the thick of things in the playoff race. Let’s take a look at this week’s AAC football match up.
Who’s to say?
Who’s to say that the Mustangs can’t play spoiler and beat the Bearcats on the road. Can the Mustangs somehow wiggle their way into winning the conference by beating Cincinnati this weekend and Houston losing to Memphis? College football is so wide open this season, heck Alabama is a one loss team. Go figure!
SMU Mustangs
SMU has been on the cusp of making national headlines and being revered as one of the better teams in the country in recent years. The Mustangs have a chance of doing just that this weekend. Quarterback Tanner Mordecai was born to play in a game of this magnitude. He has 3264 passing yards with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He has skilled players in the backfield and on the outside. The Mustangs offense is averaging 41 points per game while the defense is giving up 25 on that side of the ball. The key for the Mustangs will be on the offensive side of the ball. Getting a lead and running the ball will allow the Mustangs to eat up the clock. It’s their x factor this weekend.
#5 Cincinnati Bearcats
The Bearcats are a serious team. They average 39 points per game and their defense is giving up 16.2 points on that side of the ball. They really haven’t been tested or played a team on the caliber of SMU. True enough they can run with the big dogs, but hosting a team that can score like them is a threat. Quarterback Desmond Ridder can play! He has 2425 passing yard with 22 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Running back Jerome Ford is a beast between the tackles and receiving passes from the backfield. He has 888 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns this season. The x factor will be the offense as well for the Bearcats this weekend.
Prediction
ESPN has the Bearcats with a 75% chance of winning at home this weekend and walking into the playoffs with the swag of a championship team. The over/under is 65, so take the over! I’m taking SMU by 10! You read it here first!
Final Score
Mustangs – 40
Bearcats – 30
