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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Pete Fiutak

Cincinnati vs Tulsa: AAC Championship Prediction, Game Preview

Cincinnati Bearcats vs Tulsa Golden Hurricane: AAC Championship prediction and game preview.

Cincinnati vs Tulsa: AAC Championship Broadcast

Date: Saturday, December 19
Game Time: 8:00 pm
Venue: Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Network: ABC

– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Cincinnati (8-0) vs Tulsa (6-1) Game Preview

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Three Reasons Why You Should Watch The AAC Championship

– Is it remotely possible? Could Cincinnati get into the College Football Playoff? With the No. 9 ranking in the latest round of the College Football Playoff top 25, the committee couldn’t have put out a bigger “NOT INTERESTED” sign.

However, that’s partly because the Bearcats haven’t played since November 21st. If they come out and destroy Tulsa, and if Clemson loses badly to Notre Dame, and if Ohio State gets shocked by Northwestern, there might be a groundswell of support to get the Group of Five team into that fourth spot. It’s style points time to the nth degree for UC, but …

– Tulsa has had a wonderful season and is the real deal. It’s lone loss came to Oklahoma State in the opener – a 16-7 fight that was even closer than that – and then came the run of six straight wins including thrillers over UCF, East Carolina, SMU and Tulane to get shot at the program’s first American Athletic Conference title and third FBS conference championship after taking the 2005 and 2012 Conference USA titles.

– How much do you like defense? Cincinnati has an offense, but after three straight wild shootouts in the AAC Championship, get ready for what might be the polar opposite. It’s going to have to battle with the SEC Championship, a slew of other college games, and the Panthers vs. the Packers. This might be the closest fight of the bunch.

Why Cincinnati, Tulsa Will Win
What’s Going to Happen, Prediction, History

NEXT: Why Cincinnati Will Win, Why Tulsa Will Win, Cincinnati vs Tulsa Prediction

Why Cincinnati Will Win

– Cincinnati does what it does, and no one seems able to stop it. The offensive line has been a killer, the running game is the best in the American Athletic Conference, and the passing attack kicks in when it has to. The Bearcats had no problems running for 240 yards or more in five of the eight games, and the passing attack improved with over 700 yards combined in the last two games.

– Desmond Ridder has been here before. Yeah, Cincinnati has its style, but it’s all because its veteran Bearcat quarterback has managed to stay healthy. Last season, he only connected on 55% of his passes averaging 6.7 yards per throw – he took a major step forward as a passer. This year, he’s tearing off bigger runs and he’s hitting 67% of his throws with deeper plays.

– Yes, Cincinnati can hit home runs and will score in chunks, but it’s also able to dominate the clock. Tulsa doesn’t really care much about the time of possession battle, and that’s a potential killer. UC will have the ball for at least six minutes more than the Golden Hurricane.

– Championship Week Schedule & Predictions

Why Tulsa Will Win

– The defense is just that good. It’s a rock on third downs, it cleans up mistakes from the offensive side, and it’s got a freakish knock for coming up with massive plays when it absolutely has to.

Want to beat Cincinnati? Get its offense off the field – Tulsa leads the AAC in third down stops. It starts with a whole slew of tackles for loss and a whole lot of toughness against the run, starting with …

– Zaven Collins might be the best linebacker you haven’t seen. The 6-4, 260-pounder is a future NFL starter with size, range, pass rushing ability, and off-the-charts instincts. He’s second on the team with 51 tackles to go along with four sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss, and he has four picks including a 96-yarder for a score in the 30-24 win over Tulane. That came after sealing the win over SMU with an interception. He and Justin Wright should keep the Bearcat running game from going off.

– Here’s the Cincinnati problem – and it’s the type of thing the College Football Playoff committee should notice more than it has. What defense has it faced? Army is third in the national total D, and it held the Bearcats to 24 points and 331 yards. The second-best defense the Bearcats have faced? Houston’s, and it’s 71st in the nation.

Tulsa’s defense is the 20th best in the nation, and the offense has faced three defenses – Oklahoma State, Tulane, Navy – that’s ranked higher than anything UC has dealt with outside of Army.

NEXT: What’s Going To Happen, Cincinnati vs Tulsa Prediction, AAC Championship History

What’s Going To Happen

Cincinnati was able to get close last year, and it couldn’t get by Memphis in a fun firefight of an American Athletic Conference championship. It’ll get the job done this time around, but it won’t be amazing enough to get the College Football Playoff all fired up. The final score, though, will be impressive enough to at least lock up a New Year’s Six spot.

Tulsa’s defense will keep this close enough to be in range, but the offense won’t be able to take advantage of the opportunities. Cincinnati’s run defense will be a rock as Tulsa drive after Tulsa drive stalls.

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