The Cincinnati Bearcats are set to face the South Florida Bulls this Friday. Check out our college football odds series, which includes our Cincinnati-South Florida prediction, odds, and pick.

The Cincinnati Bearcats are still unbeaten, which counts for a lot regardless of what you think about the Cincinnati South Florida odds for Friday night's game. Michigan State just lost. Wake Forest just lost. Oklahoma has a very tough game this Saturday against Baylor. Alabama could easily lose another game. Oregon has to play Utah. As long as other teams keep losing, Cincinnati could make the College Football Playoff as long as it keeps winning.

The obvious limitation, removed from any Cincinnati-South Florida prediction, is that if other teams do not lose, Cincinnati could get locked out again. A Group of Five champion won't be held to the same standards as Alabama or Ohio State. We know this. Yet, if Cincinnati does get help, these ugly wins will still look beautiful, catapulting Luke Fickell's team into college football's final four.

Here’s how the bookmakers have set the Cincinnati-South Florida odds:

College Football odds: Cincinnati-South Florida Odds

Cincinnati: -23.5 (-108)

South Florida: +23.5 (-112)

Over: 57.5 (-108)

Under: 57.5 (-112)

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Why Cincinnati Could Cover the Spread

The Bearcats, despite their struggles, have remained strong on defense. This is the side of the ball which has enabled Cincinnati to remain unbeaten. The offense keeps leaving points on the field, but the defense isn't giving up very many. Luke Fickell is a defense-first coach, and it shows. Cincinnati can smother a South Florida offense which came alive in its most recent game against Houston. (Side note: Houston could meet Cincinnati in the AAC Championship Game in December.) Whereas South Florida was able to hang 42 points on Houston, the Bulls are much less likely to score big against Fickell's forces. Given that dynamic, Cincinnati could run away with this game. The Bearcats are probably sick and tired of not playing their very best. One would think they will max out at some point. If they max out here, they will beat South Florida by more than 30. Keep that in mind when considering a Cincinnati South Florida pick.

Why South Florida Could Cover the Spread

The Cincinnati offense just isn't clicking. If you follow college football closely, you will know that Cincinnati has led two mediocre-or-worse teams, Tulane and Tulsa, by the same 14-12 score at halftime in its last two games. Cincinnati scored just 27 points against Navy as well. The Bearcats have not eclipsed 31 points in their last three outings, even though Navy, Tulane, and Tulsa do not have more than three wins apiece. That's very alarming. Given that South Florida's offense has shown some signs of coming alive — 42 against Houston a few weeks after scoring 34 against Temple and 31 versus Tulsa — the 23.5-point spread seems very big.

Cincinnati has regularly been favored by 20 points or more this season. Yet, the Bearcats keep winning games by fewer than 20 points. You can do the math there and respond accordingly to the Cincinnati South Florida odds.

Final Cincinnati-South Florida Prediction & Pick

It's actually very simple: Cincinnati could easily win this game by 35 or more points. No one would be too surprised. The talent differential between these teams is enormous. Yet, Cincinnati keeps being favored by more than 20 points, and it keeps failing to win by 20 points. The Bearcats simply need to prove they're worthy of being a huge favorite.

Final Cincinnati-South Florida Pick: South Florida +23.5