The Cincinnati Bearcats are set to face the East Carolina Pirates this weekend. Check out our college football odds series, which includes our Cincinnati-East Carolina prediction, odds, and pick.

Everything is falling into place for Cincinnati to become the first Group of Five team to make the College Football Playoff. Oklahoma lost earlier in November. Oregon lost a second game. Michigan State and Michigan traded losses, guaranteeing that the Big Ten will have just one team with only one loss and none with an unbeaten record. Cincinnati's win at Notre Dame is a massive poker chip in the larger workings of the playoff. If there's a two-team battle for the fourth and final seed, and Cincinnati and Notre Dame are those two teams, Cincinnati has the obvious upper hand. If Georgia beats Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, an unbeaten Cincinnati team will definitely get in. Luke Fickell is staying with the Bearcats, shutting down any talk that he might reunite with former athletic director Mike Bohn at USC. This game against East Carolina is one more step for the University of Cincinnati toward historic greatness. It's an amazing and electrically charged moment for the Bearcats and all UC alumni. People who examine college football odds are marveling at how this has worked out for Cincinnati.

Trying to play spoiler is an East Carolina team which has gained bowl eligibility and clinched a winning season under coach Mike Houston. ECU has consistently won close, tough games, making the key handful of plays needed to survive in the AAC. Gritty wins against Memphis and Navy in recent weeks have shown why the Pirates are a tough out and have made such great strides under their coach. It's part of why a Cincinnati East Carolina pick might not be that clear-cut.

Here’s how the bookmakers have set the odds:

College Football odds: Cincinnati-East Carolina Odds

Cincinnati: -14.5 (-106)

East Carolina: +14.5 (-114)

Over: 57.5 (-106)

Under: 57.5 (-114)

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Why Cincinnati Could Cover the Spread

The Bearcats, after weeks of struggles and decidedly choppy performances, brought the hammer to SMU. It was as though everyone in the Cincinnati locker room got sick and tired of hearing how much they were overrated, and how much they didn't deserve to be in the College Football Playoff, and how much they were taking up a spot which would have been better filled by Notre Dame or Oklahoma or other contenders from Power Five conferences. Cincinnati showed how well it can play when operating at the height of its powers. It's a great reminder of where this team's ceiling is: in a very lofty place. East Carolina can't match it.

Why East Carolina Could Cover the Spread

The Pirates have been pesky, resilient, and resourceful this season. They will treat this game — at home, on national television — as their Super Bowl. This is a familiar scenario in college football, where an inferior team loads up all its emotions and all its trick plays into one game, trying to play the ultimate game in search of a season-making upset. Given how well East Carolina has fared in close games this season, it's not that much of a reach to think that ECU can draw Cincinnati into a close game and find a way to prevail in the fourth quarter. The Pirates are not to be underestimated.

Final Cincinnati-East Carolina Prediction & Pick

The Bearcats are a legitimately good team worthy of a playoff spot. That said, East Carolina is a tenacious team which will probably make its share of big plays. Cincinnati will win outright, but 14.5 feels like a large spread given how well ECU has competed this season.

Final Cincinnati-East Carolina Pick: +14.5