The Temple Owls will try to continue their recent success in the series when they visit the No. 5 Cincinnati Bearcats on Friday night in an American Athletic Conference matchup. The Owls (3-2) have won four of the last five meetings, losing the 2019 contest after seeing a blocked extra point returned for the deciding two points. The Bearcats (4-0) established themselves as a playoff contender last week when they beat Notre Dame 24-13 on the road, and they look strong on both sides of the ball. The Owls pulled out a thrilling 34-31 win against conference foe Memphis last Saturday scoring on a 53-yard screen pass with 2:35 left to put the game out of reach.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at Nippert Stadium. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Bearcats as 29-point favorites in its latest Cincinnati vs. Temple odds, and the over-under for total points scored is set at 54. Before locking in any Temple vs. Cincinnati picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and analysis from the proven SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,400 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters Week 6 of the 2021 season on a 12-4 run on all top-rated college football side picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has locked in on Cincinnati vs. Temple and just revealed its college football Week 6 picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s CFB picks. Here are the betting lines and trends for Temple vs. Cincinnati:
- Temple vs. Cincinnati: Bearcats -29
- Temple vs. Cincinnati over-under: 54 points
- Temple vs. Cincinnati moneyline: Owls +2000, Bearcats -10000
- TEM: WR Randle Jones has 1,281 receiving yards and nine TDs in his four seasons
- CIN: QB Desmond Ridder has 7,950 yards passing and 1,912 rushing in four seasons
Featured Game | Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Temple Owls
Why the Bearcats can cover
Cincinnati looks like a powerhouse on both sides of the ball, scoring more than 38 points per game while allowing just 14.5. The Bearcats have a balanced offense and a ferocious defense, and they will be hungry to keep winning decisively to try to earn a playoff spot come season’s end. Ridder has passed for more than 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns while adding 98 yards and three more scores on the ground. Running back Jerome Ford has rushed for 367 yards and six TDs, and Temple’s defense ranks 92nd against the run (171.2 yards per game).
The Owls defense yields more than 30 points per contest, and Ridder has reliable targets in Alec Pierce (15 catches) and Michael Young (12) and a big-play man in Tyler Scott (24.6 yards per catch). The Bearcats defense has 12 takeaways and ranks 29th in total yards (309.3 per game), while Temple’s offense is 93rd (365.2). A linebacking corps featuring Deshawn Pace and Darrian Beavers is the catalyst for the defense. The Bearcats are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games on Friday.
Why the Owls can cover
The road team is 8-2 against the spread in the past 10 matchups, and Temple has a 13-8-1 lead in the all-time series. The Owls defense has yielded an average of just 17.5 points in the past six meetings, and while the Bearcats average 38.3 points, they have topped 30 just five times in the 22 meetings. This year’s Owls defense ranks fourth in the nation against the pass (142.2 yards per game) and 32nd overall (313.4), and it has forced six turnovers. The linebackers form the core, and William Kwenkeu has posted three sacks, forced a fumble and recovered one.
Temple is 5-0 ATS in the last five matchups in Cincinnati, and the team has to feel good about QB D’Wan Mathis after last week. He tied a school record with 35 completions for 322 yards and three TDs and added 53 yards on the ground. Amad Anderson had just three catches, but that 53-yard catch and run was one of them, and he had 108 yards. Jose Barbon is the top receiver with 21 catches for 280 yards, and Edward Saydee and Tayvon Ruley have combined for 314 rushing yards. Cincinnati allows 124.5 yards per game on the ground (45th in FBS).
How to make Temple vs. Cincinnati picks
The model likes the over, projecting that the teams will combine for 55 points. It also has generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in nearly 60 percent of simulations. You can only get the model’s Cincinnati vs. Temple ATS pick at SportsLine.
So who wins the Cincinnati vs. Temple matchup on Friday? And which side of the spread is hitting almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the Temple vs. Cincinnati spread to back Friday, all from the advanced model on a 12-4 run on its top-rated college football picks, and find out.
