#2 Cincinnati vs Navy | NCAAF Predictions & Preview Game

There is no chance that No. 2 Cincinnati loses at Navy in AAC action on Saturday but simply whether the Bearcats keep their focus and are able to cover a big number on the NCAAF odds.

How to Bet Cincinnati at Navy NCAA Football Odds & TV Info

When: Saturday, noon ET
Where: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN app
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAF Lines: Cincinnati -27.5 (total 48.5)

Series History

The schools didn’t play last year. Navy leads the all-time series against the Bearcats 3-1, but Cincinnati won the last meeting 42-0 in Cincinnati (Nov. 3, 2018). Saturday’s contest will mark the third time in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium history that Navy has played host to the nation’s No. 2 team and first time Navy plays a Top 5 school at home since 1984.

Why Bet on Cincinnati?

The Bearcats (6-0) just keep rolling along as they trounced a pretty good Central Florida team 56-21 last week. Jerome Ford rushed for a career-high 189 yards and four touchdowns, and Desmond Ridder passed for 140 yards and a touchdown as the Bearcats extended the nation’s second-longest home winning streak to 24 games. It was first time in school history that Cincinnati scored 50 or more points in consecutive games.

It was Ford’s second-straight game and fourth game of the year with two or more touchdowns. He now has 12 rushing touchdowns this year and 20 for his career. Ford has four 100-yard games in this season (all at home) and five for his career. He was the first player to rush for over 185 yards in a game since Mike Boone, who had 212 rushing yards against USF on Oct. 24, 2014. He was also the first player to rush for four touchdowns in a game since Isaiah Pead, who had four against Rutgers on Nov. 20, 2010, and it was the eighth-such instance in school history.

Ridder is 58 rushing yards away from becoming the second active player to throw for over 4,000 yards and rush for over 2,000 yards. He is responsible for 95 touchdowns in his career, which is the third most in the AAC. In 2021, he has passed for 1,429 yards and has 16 total TDs. Ridder has completed 108 of 168 pass attempts (64.3%) to go along with 128 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.

It was Cincinnati’s ninth-straight win against AAC opponents and third straight win against UCF. The Bearcats are 16-1 (.941) since 2019 against AAC opponents, which is the best mark in the conference. UC is now 37-5 (.881) since 2018, ranking among the top six teams in CFB in winning percentage during that span (.878). The Bearcats are outscoring their opponents 121-31 in first halves this season.

Cincinnati has the nation’s best red zone defense (52.9%, 9 of 17) and the Bearcats are one of just two teams that rank in the Top 10 nationally in scoring (43.5, 6th) and scoring defense (13.7, 3rd). UC is +10 in TO margin and ranks No. 4 with 11 INTs. Cincinnati is allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete just 49% of their passes – No. 2 in the nation.

Why Bet on Navy?

The Middies (1-5) lost 35-17 at Memphis last Thursday. The Tigers scored on five of their first six drives and it was basically over. One highlight for Navy was a whopping 21-play TD drive, Navy’s longest since a 26-play drive in the 2004 Emerald Bowl.

QB Tai Lavatai left the game after a sack early in the fourth quarter. He passed for 27 yards and rushed for a net of 28, The Midshipmen had 10 rushers for 198 yards on the ground. Lavatai is expected to play in this game. He has 156 yards and two touchdowns on 78 carries in four games this season and has 157 yards, two scores and an interception on 10-of-21 passing.

Navy of course rarely passes the ball. The Midshipmen have five players with at least 150 yards rushing, including Lavatai, senior fullback Isaac Ruoss (308 yards and two touchdowns), senior fullback James Harris II (246 yards and a touchdown), senior slotback Carlinos Acie (193 yards) and sophomore quarterback Xavier Arline (166 yards and two touchdowns).

Senior cornerback Michael McMorris has forced 3 fumbles this year which is tied for the fifth most in the country. Navy is 31-20 (.608) in the American Athletic Conference since joining in 2015. That record is tied for the fourth-best mark in the conference during that time. Only Memphis (35-16), Temple (32-17) and UCF (32-19) have been better. Navy has defeated every team in the conference at least once.

Navy is fielding one of its youngest teams in recent memory. The Mids are starting 8 sophomores (4 on offense, 4 on defense) and have 29 freshmen or sophomores who are on the three-deep depth chart (11 on offense, 18 on defense).

Game Trends

Bearcats are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games.
Bearcats are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points.
Bearcats are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS win.
Midshipmen are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a ATS loss.
Midshipmen are 16-6 ATS in their last 22 conference games.