2025 College Football Odds: Back Cincinnati to Start Hot Against BYU

BYU travels to take on Cincinnati on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET on FOX), with major Big 12 Championship implications at stake. 

A week after getting drubbed by Texas Tech, BYU rebounded last week from its lone loss of the season, as it notched a dominant win over TCU. If BYU wins its final two games (at Cincinnati and home vs. UCF), it will set up a rematch with Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game, and give the Cougars a chance to qualify for the College Football Playoff. 

Cincinnati comes into this game having lost two in a row. After a blowout loss at Utah, Cincinnati was upset at home by Arizona, squashing any hope of making the CFP. 

So, what should we expect on Saturday night? 

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From a betting perspective, I like backing Cincinnati in the first quarter (+0.5 -140), and it’s all about what each team does when it wins the coin toss. Every time BYU has won the coin toss this year, it has deferred, electing to play defense to start the game. Cincinnati, on the other hand, has elected to start on offense multiple times this year when winning the coin toss. 

There’s a very good chance (roughly 75%) Cincinnati starts this game on offense, and getting a 1/2 point in a 15-minute quarter are two huge advantages. 

Cincinnati is at home, and has one of the elite running games in the country, averaging six yards per carry and 194.5 rushing yards per game. With a dominant rushing attack, look for Cincinnati to tie or win the first quarter, which is all we need it to do in order to cash this bet. 

PICK: Cincinnati (+0.5, -140) to tie BYU at the end of the first quarter or lead outright

Will Hill, a contributor on the Bear Bets Podcast, has been betting on sports for over a decade. He is a betting analyst who has been a host on VSiN, as well as the Goldboys Network.

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