2024 NCAAF Cheat Sheet: Cincinnati Bearcats Stats & Odds
Will the Bearcats Look Better In Year 2 With the Big 12?
Bearcats Hoping to Claw Out More Big 12 Wins in 2024:
Cincinnati needed to beat Houston to avoid going winless in the Big 12 and finish the NCAA football season on a 10-game losing streak. If there was a silver lining, it could be that four of the losses were by eight points or less.
However, the Bearcats were outscored 91-33 while falling to West Virginia and Kansas in the season’s final two games.
The Bearcats were just 4-8 against the spread in the 2023 season (2-6 after a loss). The Bearcats were 1-3 against the spread as a favorite so that is something to keep in mind for the 2024 Cincinnati Bearcats stats.
Cincinnati tied for the Big 12 lead with eight of its games landing over the NCAA football lines total. All three of the games following a win went over the total as did four of the five games on the road.
Cincinnati was ninth in the Big 12 in both total offense and total defense so perhaps the Bearcats aren’t too far away from being competitive after a difficult debut season in the Big 12. The Bearcats ranked near the bottom of the Big 12 in red-zone defense.
Cincinnati Bearcats At A Glance
| Odds to Win | Opening Odds | Current Odds |
| Championship | +75000 | +50000 |
| Conference | +6500 | +8000 |
| Regular Season Win Total | 5.5 (o +122, u- -150) | 5.5 (o +122, u- -150) |
| To Make Playoffs | Yes N/A, No N/A | Yes N/A, No N/A |
A New Quarterback On the Scene for Cincinnati
Cincinnati added former Indiana quarterback Brendan Sorsby, Ohio State running back Evan Pryor as well as receivers Tony Johnson from FAU and Tyrin Smith from UTEP so perhaps the offense will take a step forward.
The secondary should benefit from the additions of Virginia Tech cornerback Derrick Canteen and Ohio State safety Kye Stokes with West Virginia edge rusher Jared Barrett a possible option to help the pass rush.
Not all the transfer news was quite as positive.
Tight end Chamon Metayer left for Colorado, and running back Myles Montgomery as well as safeties Byron Threats and Deshawn Price transferred to UCF. That could impact the 2024 Cincinnati Bearcats stats.
Leading rusher Corey Kiner returns while offensive lineman Luke Kandra was a preseason All-Big 12 pick as the 2024 Cincinnati Bearcats stats could see Kiner post another 1000-yard season. Defensive lineman Dontay Corleone also was picked to the all-conference squad in a vote by the Big 12 media.
Championship Odds: Cincinnati Hopes to Make Noise Once Again
It has only been three years since Cincinnati took the college football world by storm by going undefeated. The Bearcats made history by making it into the four-team College Football Playoff while playing outside of the Power-5 conferences.
It feels like decades have passed since Cincinnati was a national contender. Cincinnati lost its three games against ranked teams by a combined score of 114-35. Cincinnati’s 2024 CFP championship odds are slowly trending in the right direction but there is still a way to go.
The Bearcats had the 10th-rated class of transfers in the Big 12 and the recruiting class was ranked eighth. More will be needed on the recruiting trail for Cincinnati to be viewed as a national contender.
Conference Odds: Baby Steps Possible In 2024
Cincinnati was picked to finish ahead of only Houston and Arizona State in the Big 12 preseason poll.
The good news is that two of the first four conference games come against Houston and Arizona State so perhaps there is a chance to build some momentum early in the season.
The Bearcats only play one of the college football teams that finished in the top five in the preseason Big 12 media poll so perhaps there will be more success in Year 2 as a Big 12 program.
However, when looking at the 2024 Cincinnati Bearcats stats, it might be a reach to expect the Bearcats to be a contender for the Big 12 title.
Regular Season Wins: Going Over 5.5 Wins Could Happen
If Cincinnati beats Pittsburgh for the second season in a row, the Bearcats could head into Big 12 play at 3-0 with the other non-conference games against Towson and Miami (Ohio) being games that the NCAAF predictions believe the Bearcats will win.
Back-to-back games against Texas Tech and UCF could determine whether Cincinnati has a chance to win six games and become bowl-eligible. That would be a step in the right direction if the 2024 Cincinnati Bearcats stats show that Cincinnati had at least six wins in 2024. There is a bye week in between those games.
The Bearcats need to take care of business early in the season because ending the regular season against West Virginia, Iowa State, Kansas State, and TCU will be a rugged stretch to navigate.
To Make Playoffs: Let’s Focus On Earning A Bowl Bid
With Texas and Oklahoma now in the SEC, that opens things up in the Big 12. Cincinnati and TCU are the only current Big 12 teams that have earned previous spots in the College Football Playoffs.
Even with the Big 12 champion likely to earn a CFP spot now that the field has expanded from four to 12 teams, it is hard to see Cincinnati making that big of a jump in one season to be in contention for one of the 12 CFP spots.
A more realistic goal would be for Cincinnati to do enough to earn a college bowl bid.
Side Bets
If he played on a better team, Kiner might be getting more love in the Heisman Trophy odds. Perhaps that will change with some impressive performances early in the season.
Those who went with Cincinnati games to finish over the total a season ago did pretty well so that could be options to consider.
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