The Cincinnati Bearcats take on the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City, Utah. Kickoff is set for 10:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Utah is favored by 10 points on the spread with a moneyline of -390. Cincinnati, meanwhile, enters as a +10 underdog and is +310 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 54.5 total points.
Here’s my Cincinnati vs. Utah prediction and college football picks for Saturday, November 1.
Cincinnati vs Utah Prediction
- Cincinnati vs. Utah Pick: Cincinnati +10.5 (Play to +8.5)
My Utah vs. Cincinnati best bet is on the Bearcats to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Cincinnati vs Utah Odds
| Cincinnati Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+10 -110 | 54.5 -110o / -110u | +310 |
| Utah Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-10 -110 | 54.5 -110o / -110u | -390 |
- Cincinnati vs Utah Spread: Utah -10, Cincinnati +10
- Cincinnati vs Utah Over/Under: 54.5 Points
- Cincinnati vs Utah Moneyline: Cincinnati +310, Utah -390
Cincinnati vs Utah College Football Betting Preview
Cincinnati Bearcats Betting Preview: Sorsby Leads the Way
After failing to make a bowl in each of Scott Satterfield’s first two seasons, the Bearcats are 7-1, qualified for a bowl berth and looking for more.
Cincinnati has a chance to be this year’s Arizona State in the Big 12. It entered the season 10th in odds to win the Big 12 and now sits second in the standings, with the third-lowest odds to win the conference.
Quarterback Brendan Sorsby has been tremendous for Cincinnati and one of the best quarterbacks in the country this season. He has thrown 20 touchdown passes with just one interception while adding 425 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground.
He hasn’t had a turnover-worthy play in three straight weeks and has the second-best Pro Football Focus grade in the country among all qualified quarterbacks.
Sorsby spreads the ball around nicely with four players averaging at least 40 yards per game.
Caleb Goodie is the speedster in the offense, leading the Big 12 with 19.9 yards per reception, and Cyrus Allen is the go-to end-zone target. He leads the conference with nine touchdown receptions on the year.
The running game also shares the load with a mix of thunder and lightning.
Tawee Walker leads the way in carries and is a bowling ball between the tackles for the Bearcats. Then, Evan Pryor is the speed-back, leading the Big 12 with 7.2 yards per attempt.
Sorsby uses his legs perfectly to keep the chains moving and is lethal in the red zone.
Defensively, the Bearcats haven't been great, but they've done enough. They've employed the bend-don’t-break approach, ranking outside of the top 100 in Success Rate allowed but top-20 at preventing explosiveness.
The 'Cats have gotten better each week of conference play, though. Cincinnati went from allowing 597 total yards to Kansas in the conference opener to surrendering 470 yards, 413 yards, 377 yards and just 266 yards last week.
Last week’s performance against a talented Baylor offense was arguably its best performance of the season, allowing just 266 total yards and completely shutting down the Baylor passing attack.
A big problem for the Bearcats has been their inability to force turnovers, racking up just one interception all season. Cincinnati has forced two turnovers in each of the last two games, which will be a key going forward.
The key to this is defense is “The Godfather,” Dontay Corleone plugging the middle of the defense. The star defensive tackle missed a couple of games earlier in the season but played his most snaps since the season opener last week.
Utah Utes Betting Preview: Return to Form
After a disastrous 2024 season, Utah has bounced back and returned to form as many expected. The Utes are 6-2 on the year, with their lone losses coming against teams currently ranked No. 10 and No. 13 in the AP Poll.
Utah bounced back from its Holy War loss and took its anger out on Colorado, bludgeoning it, 53-7.
Kyle Whittingham is back to his old tricks again, making a mockery of the injury report.
Quarterback Devon Dampier was upgraded to “probable” on Friday’s report, only to be ruled out on Saturday. Backup Byrd Ficklin was terrific in his first career start, throwing for two touchdowns and adding 150 yards and a score on the ground.
Dampier will remain day-to-day ahead of Saturday’s matchup against Cincinnati.
The New Mexico transfer has been great for Utah, bringing his electric play-making abilities to the Big 12. He has thrown 13 passes through the air with an additional five scores on the ground.
For a quarterback who's thought of as a run-first threat, Dampier leads the Big 12 with a 68.7% completion percentage this season.
Wide receiver Ryan Davis has been Dampier’s favorite target, leading the team with 48 receptions. He came with Dampier from New Mexico, and the two continue to have great chemistry.
Utah also utilizes a lot of two-tight-end sets. Dallen Bentley and JJ Buchanan both have caught three touchdown passes this year.
The Utes rank third in the country in Rush Success Rate on offense with the three-headed monster of NaQuari Rogers, Wayshawn Parker and Dampier.
Rogers leads the team in carries and has seven touchdowns on the year, but Parker is more explosive and averages 7.2 yards per carry.
Defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley still has this defense near the top of the sport. Utah ranks in the top 20 in Success Rate allowed and has the second-best scoring defense in the Big 12.
It should come as no surprise that the two worst performances from the Utes defense came in their two losses. Nevertheless, they've been brilliant in the wins.
The Utah pass defense has been tremendous, ranking seventh in total passing yards allowed this season while allowing just five passing scores all season. Texas Tech is the only team to throw for more than 170 yards against this defense.
The secondary is elite, led by safeties Jackson Bennee and Tao Johnson. Bennee has scored the same number of touchdowns on defense as he has allowed.
However, the secondary is also helped by a dominant pass rush. John Henry Daley sits second in the Big 12 with 9.5 sacks and leads the conference with 13.5 tackles for loss. Daley and Logan Fano put a ton of pressure on opposing offenses.
Cincinnati vs Utah Pick, Betting Analysis
This feels like a good time to fade Cincinnati, playing its sixth straight game and already with its most wins since joining the Big 12. However, this number is just way too high, even in a very difficult road environment.
Cincinnati has a top-10 offense in the country. The Bearcats are deep, balanced and have one of the best quarterbacks in the nation leading the way.
They don’t just rely on one or two guys and can move the ball and score in a variety of ways. The 'Cats rank in the top 15 in both Passing Success Rate and Rushing Success Rate.
Utah has elite numbers on defense, especially against the pass.
But it has also faced only one competent passing attack and gave up 34 points on 6.7 yards per play. Outside of Texas Tech, it's faced UCLA, Cal Poly, Wyoming, West Virginia, Arizona State’s backup quarterback, BYU and Colorado.
The defense is very good, but the numbers are greatly inflated by the lack of passing attacks it has faced. Even Texas Tech lost its starting quarterback halfway through that game. Sorsby will be the best quarterback this defense has faced all season by a mile.
The Cincinnati defense has allowed teams to move the ball, but it bows up when it matters. The Bearcats have the second-best red-zone defense in the country.
While they allow teams to move the ball, they don't give up chunk plays and have been one of the best defenses in the country at preventing explosives.
Most importantly, the Bearcats defense ranks sixth in the nation in tackling. That's huge for containing Dampier and Parker out of the backfield and keeping everything in front of them.
Our Action Network Betting Power Ratings make Utah a -3 favorite on a neutral field. Rice-Eccles Stadium is one of the best home-field advantages in college football, especially at night.
Even if you give the Utes four points for home-field advantage, it's hard to justify this number being much higher than a touchdown, let alone double digits.
Give me the points with the Bearcats here.
Pick: Cincinnati +10.5 (Play to +8.5)
Cincinnati vs Utah Betting Trends
