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The Temple Owls will try to spring the huge upset on the road Friday night when they visit the No. 5 Cincinnati Bearcats for an American Athletic Conference game. Temple (3-2) started the season with an ugly 61-14 loss to Rutgers, but it has won three of four since. That includes a 34-31 win against Memphis last Saturday, and the Owls have won four of the last five against the Bearcats (4-0). But Cincinnati comes in soaring after a 24-13 win against Notre Dame that has its fans thinking about the College Football Playoff. The Bearcats won at home in the last meeting, a 15-13 victory in an ugly game marred by cold and rain, to win the AAC East in 2019.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at Nippert Stadium. The Bearcats are listed as the 30-point favorites in the latest Temple vs. Cincinnati odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under for total points scored is 53. Before finalizing any Temple vs. Cincinnati picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and analysis from the proven SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,400 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters Week 6 of the 2021 season on a 12-4 run on all top-rated college football side picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has locked in on Cincinnati vs. Temple and just revealed its college football Week 6 picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine to see the model's CFB picks. Here are the betting lines and trends for Temple vs. Cincinnati:  

  • Temple vs. Cincinnati: Bearcats -30
  • Temple vs. Cincinnati over-under: 53 points 
  • Temple vs. Cincinnati money line: Owls +2000, Bearcats -10000 
  • TEM: WR Randle Jones has 1,281 receiving yards and nine TDs in his four seasons 
  • CIN: QB Desmond Ridder has 7,950 yards passing and 1,912 rushing in four seasons

Why the Bearcats can cover

The Bearcats are 6-0 against the spread in their last six after allowing 100 rushing yards or fewer in the previous game. They held the Fighting Irish to 84 yards on the ground and forced three turnovers. That gave the defense 12 this season, and the unit is yielding 14.5 points per game (eighth in FBS). The Cincy defense is led by a stout linebacking corps featuring Deshawn Pace (two interceptions, fumble recovery) and Darrian Beavers (two sacks, two recoveries). Ends Myjai Sanders and Curtis Brooks also can put a lot of pressure on the quarterback.

If the front can disrupt the quarterback, that could give cornerbacks Arquon Bush and Ahmad Gardner a chance to make plays. Each has two interceptions this season after they combined for five in eight games last season. The Bearcats are 5-0 ATS in their last five Friday games, and the balanced offense is putting up 38.3 points per game (17th in FBS). The Owls defense allows 30.2 (99th). Quarterback Desmond Ridder has passed for more than 1,000 yards and accounted for 12 TDs, while running back Jerome Ford has 367 rushing yards and six scores.

Why the Owls can cover

Temple is 5-0 against the spread in the last five meetings, and the Owls hung tight with the Bearcats in the last matchup and hold a 13-8-1 lead in the series. The Owls' defense has not allowed more than 24 points in the past six meetings with the Bearcats, and UC has scored more than 30 five times in the 22 overall. Temple ranks fourth in the nation against the pass (142.2 yards per game), and Cincinnati's weakness has been its running game. The Bearcats rush for 146 yards per game (84th in FBS) and total 411.8 yards (60th). Much of the scoring has come from great field position provided by the defense, so the Owls will need to avoid making mistakes.

Quarterback D'Wan Mathis has thrown just one interception and has been outstanding since returning from injury. He missed two games after the Rutgers loss, but he has thrown for 614 yards with five TDs and no interceptions over the past two games. Receiver Jose Barbon has a team-high 21 catches for 280 yards, and Amad Anderson had three catches for 108 yards last week. Linebacker William Kwenkeu is a force for Temple's defense, with three sacks, a forced fumble and a recovery. The road team is 8-2 against the spread in the past 10 matchups. 

How to make Temple vs. Cincinnati picks

The model likes the over, projecting that the teams will combine for 55 points. It also has generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in nearly 60 percent of simulations. You can only get the model's Cincinnati vs. Temple ATS pick at SportsLine

So who wins the Cincinnati vs. Temple matchup on Friday? And which side of the spread is hitting almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the Temple vs. Cincinnati spread to back Friday, all from the advanced model on a 12-4 run on its top-rated college football picks, and find out.