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The No. 7 Cincinnati Bearcats will look to clamp down on the East Carolina Pirates when they meet in an American Athletic Conference game on Friday at Cincinnati. The Bearcats' defense has shut down three high-octane offenses in a row. Houston entered last week's matchup averaging 444.7 yards per game, but was held to 282 yards and 10 points. The Bearcats (6-0) have held all five of their FBS opponents under 13 points. The Pirates (1-5) enter the game averaging 29.2 points per game.

The game from Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati is slated to start at 7:30 p.m. ET. Cincinnati is averaging 441.7 yards per game, while ECU is averaging 398.5. The Bearcats are favored by 27.5 points in the latest Cincinnati vs. East Carolina odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 55. Before making any East Carolina vs. Cincinnati picks, check out the college football predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,900 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It is a sizzling 37-20 on top-rated picks through 10 weeks of the 2020 college football season, returning over $900 in profit already. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on ECU vs. Cincinnati. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college football odds from William Hill and trends for Cincinnati vs. ECU:

  • East Carolina vs. Cincinnati spread: Cincinnati -27.5
  • East Carolina vs. Cincinnati over-under: 55 points
  • East Carolina vs. Cincinnati money line: East Carolina +1500, Cincinnati -4000
  • ECU: Has averaged 340.5 passing yards in the last two games
  • CIN: The Bearcats' average time of possession per game is 31 minutes, 13 seconds, which is 40th-best in the country

Why Cincinnati can cover

The Bearcats' defense has been powered by senior linebacker Jarell White, who leads the team with 58 tackles, including 33 solo. He also has registered one sack for 11 yards and broken up one pass. Last week against Houston, he made nine stops, including two solo. His best overall game so far this season was against then-16th-ranked SMU, when he made 13 tackles, including 11 solo, sacked the quarterback and knocked down a pass. He also made 15 tackles against then-No. 22 Army.

Also having a big season on defense is senior linebacker Joel Dublanko, who is second in stops with 28, including 18 solo. He has also recovered one fumble. Dublanko had his best game of the season last Saturday against Houston when he made eight tackles, including three solo. For his career, he has recorded 97 tackles, including 40 solo, with one sack and one forced fumble.

Why East Carolina can cover

The Pirates have done a good job of moving the ball on offense. Junior quarterback Holton Ahlers has been solid, completing 125 of 198 passes for 1,354 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has been picked off five times, but has a rating of 135.5. In last week's loss at Tulane, Ahlers completed 27 of 43 passes for 351 yards and three scores. It was the second week in a row he threw for 330 or more yards and three TDs.

Leading the rushing attack is freshman Rahjai Harris, who has been a workhorse for the Pirates. Harris has carried 91 times for 475 yards and three TDs. He has also caught four passes for 14 yards with one score. He rushed for more than 100 yards in three straight games prior to being held to 27 by Tulane last Saturday. His best output was a 172-yard performance against Navy on Oct. 17.

How to make Cincinnati vs. East Carolina picks

SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total as the simulations show the teams combining for 56 points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine. 

So who wins East Carolina vs. Cincinnati? And which side of the spread cashes in almost 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Cincinnati vs. East Carolina spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up almost $3,900 on its top-rated college football spread picks, and find out.