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Cincinnati Fails to Cover Double-Digit Spread for Third Straight Week

After an impressive start to the season, it's no longer a safe bet when the Bearcats are favored by double digits.

David Scipione

When the first set of College Football Playoff rankings was announced, the Cincinnati Bearcats had the highest opening ranking of any Group of Five team ever.

Fantastic news, right?

Cincinnati's mascot holds up a sign saying the Bearcats want in the College Football Playoff
Albert Cesare/The Enquirer/USA TODAY Network

Well, not so much for Cincinnati, which was ranked No. 6 despite occupying the No. 2 spot in the latest AP Top 25 Poll ahead of the CFP reveal. To pile on, the Bearcats' remaining schedule features no other teams ranked in the CFP. 

Some dominant, lopsided wins are needed for Cincinnati to make a better case with what's left of the season. Time to put up points—but if fans know that, oddsmakers do, too.

From a betting standpoint, the double-digit spreads that the Bearcats were covering earlier in the season have been costly of late.

By surviving against Tulsa 28–20 at home on Saturday, Cincinnati failed to cover its third straight double-digit spread. The Bearcats, favored by 22.5 points over the Golden Hurricane, also couldn't get the job done against Tulane (-27.5) and Navy (-28.5), falling to 5–5 Against The Spread (ATS) for the season. 

For bettors, the safe play is to stay away from betting Cincinnati ATS for the remainder of the regular season. With South Florida, SMU and East Carolina on tap, the Bearcats will definitely have more double-digit spreads to cover.

Cincinnati could go on a roll and impress the CFP committee enough with some big wins, but they'll be needing those late into the season—which are always tough to come by.

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David Scipione
DAVID SCIPIONE

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