BSNblog

West Virginia Mountaineers vs (5) Cincinnati Bearcats

Friday, November 13, 8:00 p.m. ET

Favorite: Cincinnati -9.5

There’s plenty on the line for both teams Friday night. Believe it or not, West Virginia can still win the Big East if it beats Cincy this week and Pittsburgh next week. Cincinnati has even more at stake; if it keeps winning and one of the top four nationally ranked teams falters, the Bearcats could wind up in the BCS title game.

Offensively, West Virginia won’t match up with Cincinnati as well as it normally can. Quarterback Jarrett Brown is getting over a concussion and may be tentative in the pocket if he’s cleared to play. Speedy running back Noel Devine has a sprained ankle – a tough injury to play with for a guy who relies on explosiveness. With the Mountaineers top starters not at 100 per cent, the Bearcats should take over at home on “D.” They’ve allowed 20-plus points just once this season and give up just 12.3 points per game against their own conference.

Cincinnati’s offense is a consistent, well-oiled machine right now, having scored 28 or more points in every game this season. Quarterbacks Tony Pike and Zach Collaros are both effective signal callers, so the Bearcats can get it done with either guy starting. It also certainly helps to have a big-play threat like Mardy Gilyard. West Virginia’s defense is a Jekyll-and-Hyde show this year, kind of like the Carolina Panthers in NFL betting. It kept Louisville out of the end zone last week but got torched by South Florida for 431 yards the week prior. The difference: the South Florida game was a road matchup. We should thus expect the “Hyde” version of West Virginia’s defense to rear its ugly head at Cincinnati.

Here’s a parlay for you; pick the Mountaineers to romp at home Friday, then pick Pac-Man’s Pacquiao vs Cotto odds to romp on Saturday.