Cincinnati Bearcats vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

Quick read:

Take Cincinnati to cover the spread and let the Mountaineers worry about whether their forward Brenen Lorient can actually play without his leg falling off. The Bearcats are the healthy, hungrier option here, and in college football, the team with fewer medical mysteries and fewer legal entanglements usually takes the W. This isn't a close contest; it's a test of which program has more dignity left intact.

While West Virginia is busy checking if Amir Jenkins is back for basketball—or if the whole roster is just one bad day away from a federal investigation—Cincinnati is out there playing actual football. The Mountaineers' pregame injury reports read like a horror novel synopsis, whereas Cincinnati's biggest drama is probably whether the lunch meat is turkey or ham. You bet on the team that isn't currently trying to figure out if their starting lineups are legally admissible in court.

The only real risk is the inevitable West Virginia Hail Mary that defies physics, common sense, and the laws of the Big 12. But even if Lorient does show up and Jenkins flashes a smile, Cincinnati has the edge in sheer organizational stability. Bet the Bearcats and try to enjoy the quiet, because the other side is about to be very loud and very chaotic.