One of the characteristics of college football bowl games is that the coaches who often lead a team to the postseason are gone when the postseason arrives. Certainly, that is the case for the Cincinnati Bearcats and Louisville Cardinals in 2022. Coach Luke Fickell left Cincinnati to become head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten. Following that news, Scott Satterfield bolted Louisville for Fickell’s old job at Cincinnati. Kerry Coombs has taken over as the interim Cincinnati HC. In comparison, Mike Pegues will try to beat the College Football odds for Louisville.
Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Louisville Cardinals 2022 Wasabi Fenway Bowl
| Date and Time: | Saturday, December 17, 2022, 11 a.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | +2 (-110) | 44½ (-110) | +110 |  |
| Louisville | -130 | 44½ (-110) | -2 (-110) | |
| ||||
Cincinnati vs. Louisville SBG Odds Overview
Cincinnati is fresh on the minds of the casual online wagering sector as a College Football Playoff team. At the same time, Louisville has been off the radar for the betting public. Wise Guys will consider the Cardinals for that reason. Additionally, there is the angle of how committed these teams will be after losing their head coaches.
Louisville Cardinals Team Overview
Last game, the Louisville Cardinals lost 26-13 against the Kentucky Wildcats as 3.5-point road dogs. The game went under the total of 42.5. Louisville has a record of 7-5 straight up, 7-5 against the spread, and 4-8 over/under the total. Louisville ranks 54th for total offense, 92nd for passing, 35th for rushing, and 76th for scoring. Defensively they rank 34th overall, 34th against the pass, 47th against the rush, and 19th for points allowed. Also, Cincinnati ranks 87th for fewest turnovers lost and 10th for takeaways.
Will Levis passed for two touchdowns. Including a 3-yarder to Barion Brown in the third quarter. And then Matt Ruffolo kicked a career-best four field goals. Hence the Wildcats topped archrival Louisville. Levis was 11 of 19 passing for 188 yards and tossed an 8-yard TD pass to Dane Key in Kentucky’s second possession. His pass to wide-open tight end Josh Kattus turned into a 70-yard catch-and-run and set the stage for his first score three plays later. Accordingly, the Wildcats never trailed. However, it took another Levis TD pass for the Wildcats to feel comfortable with Bluegrass bragging rights.
Cincinnati Bearcats Team Overview
Last game, the Cincinnati Bearcats lost 27-24 against the Tulane Green Wave as 1-point home dogs. The game went over the total of 43. UC has a record of 9-3 straight up, 3-8-1 against the spread, and 5-6 over/under the total. UC ranks 65th for total offense, 43rd for passing, 88th for rushing, and 46th for scoring. Defensively they rank 23rd overall, 17th against the pass, 50th against the rush, and 24th for points allowed. Also, Cincinnati ranks 19th for fewest turnovers lost and 81st for takeaways. Redshirt sophomore Evan Prater started at quarterback for Cincinnati. To illuminate, he replaced Ben Bryant, who suffered a foot injury in the win over Temple. Prater was 10-for-26 for 102 yards and rushed for 83 yards on 18 carries.
Cincinnati vs. Louisville SBG Free Picks
In this situation, we have two teams without the coaches that got them into bowl positions. On the whole, Cincinnati has been the more impressive team. As mentioned earlier, the Cardinals have shown far greater value with the College Football odds.
Cincinnati vs. Louisville SBG Best Bet: Louisville Cardinals.