College football upset pick Week 12, No. 1: Cincinnati
Rank: 5 | Opponent: vs. SMU | Time: Saturday, Nov. 20, 3:30 p.m. ET
Cincinnati has been surviving over the past few weeks after just destroying teams on a weekly basis in the first two months of the season. Navy and Tulsa kept the game within one score, and USF was able to score two third-quarter touchdowns to make the Bearcats sweat a little bit last Friday. This week, the sweating turns into full-blown worries against SMU.
Southern Methodist University lost two games this season in a devastating fashion. The game against Houston ended when the Cougars ran back a kickoff for a touchdown with 17 seconds left in the game. That came right after SMU tied the game. Against Memphis, they scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to finish the comeback.
Now, they face a Cincinnati team that is looking to crack the top four in the College Football Playoff. The key for SMU beating Cincinnati is Tanner Mordecai. He’s been awesome since the beginning of October. He’s quickly showing he’s one of the better quarterbacks in the country. If he can find a way to outduel Desmond Ridder, then SMU has a chance to take the win.
All the pressure is on Cincinnati. They haven’t lost a game at home in 25 contests in a row. That winning streak has to end sometime. SMU has the offense to keep up with the Bearcats, with 498 yards per game. That’s good for sixth in the nation. They score 41 points per game, also sixth in the nation. SMU will get on their horses, and Cincinnati will have trouble keeping up.
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