Murray State Racers vs. Cincinnati Bearcats Odds & Game Pick (2021)

Sep 9, 2021 - 9:42 AM

Cincinnati had high hopes coming into the 2021 season, and their first game didn’t disappoint. The Bearcats routed Miami (Ohio) 49-14 and were up 35-0 at halftime. The Bearcats moved up one place in the AP poll as a result, and they now rank seventh in the nation. Their dream of crashing the College Football Playoff will continue against Murray State this Saturday.

Murray State is a smaller team out of the Ohio Valley Conference. They won their first game of the season, beating Mississippi Valley State 35-0 last Thursday. The Racers are no stranger to playing top-shelf talent, as they lost 63-17 to Georgia and 45-0 to Toledo in September of 2019. How will the Racers adjust to the talent discrepancy while playing one of the better teams in the country? 

Let’s cover all the betting angles of this Saturday afternoon showdown. 

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Details

• Opening Line: Cincinnati -35.5
• Over/Under: 51.5
• Location: Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, OH
• Kickoff: 3:30 ET

Overview 

Cincinnati and their award-contending quarterback, Desmond Ridder, looked unflappable last Saturday. The Bearcats could do no wrong in the first half as they jumped out to a 35-0 lead. As long as Cincinnati stays focused, we should expect a similar performance out of them in Week 2. 

This will be an extreme challenge for Murray State. Not only are the Racers stepping up in class, but they are playing a legitimate team that is trying to make a National Championship push. The only way Murray State keeps this spread within the number comes down to whether or not Cincinnati executes. In other words, it’s hard to imagine the Racers putting up much resistance against an elite team. 

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Trends 

• Murray State has gone 6-2 SU in their last eight. 
• Cincinnati is 6-2 ATS in their last eight.
• The total is 4-2 to OVER in Cincinnati’s last six games.

Bottom Line 

Cincinnati has a big game against Indiana next week. Is it possible that the Bearcats are looking ahead? Yes. Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? I don’t think so. 

The Bearcats have enough talent on both sides of the ball to breeze past Murray State. As mentioned earlier, the Racers haven’t played a Power 5 team in over two years. That will show in a game against this bonafide top ten Cincinnati club. The Bearcats should roll and cover the spread on Saturday. 

Pick: Cincinnati -35.5

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Spencer Limbach is a featured writer at BettingPros and FantasyPros. For more from Spencer, check out his archive and follow him @spencer_jl.

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