Betting lines, game preview, and prediction for Cincinnati vs. Kansas State

It seemed like Kansas State could not get this going.

It had a great chance to take over the Big 12 and make this all about its chance to win the conference title, but it messed everything up by losing to Houston and Arizona State in a row.

With a win here, then at Iowa State, and then in a bowl game, they could still have a ten-win season.

Since the middle of October, Cincinnati has only been able to win five games. They did pull off a great win over Arizona State, but then they lost three in a row. Now, to be bowl eligible, it needs to win one of its last two games. TCU is the last game.

Cincinnati vs Kansas State: How to Watch and Game Preview

Date: Saturday, November 23, 2024
Game Time: 8:00 pm ET
How To Watch: ESPN2
Venue: Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, KS
Teams: Kansas State (7-3), Cincinnati (5-5)

Why Cincinnati Will Win

(Forgive the utter horror of this line, but there’s no other way to properly make this fit.)

Cincinnati’s consistency is its inconsistency, but that’s a positive.

(Again, dreadfully sorry. I’ll try to be better.)

On both sides of the ball this team really hasn’t played the same style of game twice.

However, it’s been adaptable on the fly – for the most part. it found a balance in the win over Arizona State.

The passing game worked in the shootout loss to Texas Tech, and the running game was wonderful in the loss to Iowa State, and …

Why is this a positive?

Other than penalty yards – UC is 1-4 when getting nailed with over 40 yards of sins – there’s no one way to figure out how to take this team down.

It’s been close SO many times – sort of like Kansas over the last two weeks, the Bearcats are overdue for a big break, but …

Why Kansas State Will Win

Kansas State has been very reliable.

There is a reason why they lost three times. The math may be a bit rough, but turnovers are important.

No, the offense was not good enough to beat Houston. Now, the defense was not strong enough to beat Arizona State. And yes, the loss to BYU was caused by things that were beyond reason and control. Still, those are the three games Kansas State lost and turned the ball over more than once.

Everyone has trouble with turnovers, but they really mess up this K-State team.

Luckily for the Wildcats, Cincinnati has not taken away many balls lately—just three in the last four games and no more than two since mid-October.

Cincinnati vs Kansas State: Who Will Win?

It is not true that Cincinnati needs a break and some luck. It has to make its own, which it is not good at.

You know what Kansas State is going to do, but can Cincinnati sell out a little more (their pass rush is not terrible) to get the turnovers they need to win?

Not at all. In their last home game, the Wildcats will play great, and in the second half, the ground game will take over to set the pace.