
Originally Posted by
THE PROFIT
Guys, one of the most intriguing games on the board is Cincy/Fresno St. With all the success Cincy had LY, but now has a new HC, against a team that got their ass handed to them in their bowl game as a huge favorite. I remember that game so well, had ALOT riding on Wyoming. Anyway, at first glance you have to wonder why Cincy is now a dog in this matchup, but lets look closer. Post season favs who were fav by 7+ & lose SU are 32-15 ATS on season openers Fresno lost to Cincy LY 28-20, so there is a strong revenge factor now & Cincy is not near as loaded as LY. Fresno is 31-12 ATS as non-conf dogs or favs of 3 or less New head coaches are always an auto fade ATS This is a tough pick to stomach either way, but this little bit of propaganda, I mean info, helps Cincinnati heading out west to face Fresno State, however, is what makes me do a double take. The Bearcats were posted as 1 ½-point road favorites when the Hilton initially posted this line. Yet Pat Hill’s team will most likely be coming into this affair as a 2 ½-point home “chalk.” VegasInsider.com’s expert handicapper Chip Chirimbes believes that change in the ranks is why the line is set as such. “Ryan Matthews may not still be at Fresno State, but they still have eight starters coming back on offense. Plus, Cincy is bringing Butch Jones into take over for Brian Kelly. It’s hard to think that Butch Jones has a coaching advantage over the Bulldogs’ Pat Hill.” While Matthews was won of the best running backs in college last season, he is far from irreplaceable. Take into account that he rushed for 1,808 yards and had 122 receiving yards. Fresno State gained a total of 5,597 yards on the attack in 2009. Sportsbook.com’s Dave Staley puts the Bulldogs into more perspective, where they are posted as three-point home faves. “(There are) 15 starters returning for Fresno State from a team that went 8-5 last year. Even though Ryan Matthews is now with the Chargers, there is still plenty of firepower on the offense.” The ‘Dogs have four of their five offensive linemen coming back this year to protect senior quarterback Ryan Colburn. What is a big issue for Fresno State is how he will handle being the main man of the attack. Colburn was never asked to really carry the team at any point last season, reaching above 30 pass attempts just three times. The plus side for him is that he learned to make better decisions, evidenced by the fact Colburn had six interceptions in the first three games of the year and five picks the rest of the way. Cincinnati holds the edge on the quarterback area with Zach Collaros taking over as a full-time starter. Collaros was called into duty on more than one occasion for Tony Pike in ’09. He completed 75 percent of his passes for 1,434 yards with 10 touchdowns and two picks. Collaros will also have three starters back on the o-line. And if that wasn’t enough, Armon Binns and D.J. Woods are back to provide reliable receiving targets. Something else that gamblers should consider is how these teams have fared in meaningful games. Collaros guided the Bearcats to strong wins last season over Connecticut and West Virginia in consecutive weeks. You know the last two wins that the Bulldogs have had over BCS schools? Last year against Illinois and a 2007 triumph over Kansas State – two teams that were less than garbage at the time. Yet Fresno State are favored in this game. “I’m a little surprised that only 29% of the bettors are on the Bearcats in this game,” says Dave Staley. I’m surprised, too.