cincy

Las Vegas - If you're interested in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl, Cincinnati -7.5 (buy the hook down to -7) is probably the side. Luke Fickell motored 106.6 miles South on the I-71 from Columbus to Cincinnati. He spent 15 years at the Horseshoe guiding the Bucks defense for the last 11. He took over the Bearcats in 2017 and they stunk it up at 4-8. However, last season, he caught fire, and Cincy won 11 games. With a W this afternoon in Birmingham, Luke will have YO 11 in the bank again. The Bearcats lost three times this season, twice to Memphis and once to Ohio State. They've covered seven of the last 11 and will play a B.C. team WITHOUT its BEST player. RB AJ Dillon has decided not to play so he can prep for the NFL draft. When you lose 1,685 yards and 14 TDs, that's a YUGE problem. Looked at the Eagles defense, and Swiss cheese does not even begin to describe the holes. B.C. wound up as the 126th ranked D allowing 480 yards per game. YIKES! Gonna put some Cincy on my plate, but will stay away from the Indiana/Tennessee matchup in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

-----------------------------------------