Cincinnati Bearcats vs. South Florida Bulls
Saturday, November 3rd, 2007
by Crazy Snake of Predictem.com
Two weeks ago the game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the South Florida Bulls was looming as a clash between two undefeated heavyweights of the Big East. A fortnight later and it sees a match up between two teams in reverse attempting to stay in contention for title honors.
Both teams come into this clash off losses. South Florida has dropped its past two games, road losses to Rutgers (30-27) and Connecticut (22-15), while Cincinnati is trying to arrest its own two game skid which included a 28-24 home loss to Louisville and a subsequent 24-17 road loss to Pittsburgh.
The Bearcat’s quarterback, Ben Mauk, remains optimistic, however, despite his team trailing first placed Connecticut by two games. “I don’t think the two losses take us out of the running for the Big East Championship at all. It’s the kind of conference where any team can beat any other team on any given week. We need to not worry about anybody else and just make sure we take care of business.”
The problem for South Florida has stemmed largely from the indifferent form of its versatile quarterback, Matt Grothe, and a leaky run defense which has given up 329 yards rushing over the past two weeks. Ironically, in the loss to Connecticut, Grothe became only the second South Florida player to pass for 4000 yards and rush for 1000 yards in a single season. He will have to overcome his own demons if he is to help arrest the current slide, however. His only appearance against Cincy led to a 23-6 road loss in 2006.
Recent formlines suggest this will be a close one. The teams are 2-2 all time with the home team winning on every occasion. Most betting shops have Cincinnati as 5 point dogs, and given their recent form it’s hard to argue with that. However, their most recent 28-23 road win against 18th ranked Rutgers puts them one up on the Bulls who managed a 3 point loss under the same conditions.
Whatever Saturday’s result, one thing is certain. One team remains in contention and one can begin looking to next season.
The Snake’s Bite: I’m laying the points with South Florida! While neither team is playing as well as they were earlier this season, Cinci seems to have fallen off the most.
