Cincinnati Bearcats (2-0) vs. Oregon State Beavers (2-0)
Saturday, September 19, 3:45 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: Cincinnati -1.0

Sam’s Take (14 – 4):

Reser Stadium will be the setting for a very attractive non-conference showdown between two ranked teams.

Let’s just hope this game goes better for the Beavers than the 34-3 shellacking that the Bearcats handed them in 2007.

Make no mistake about it; Cincinnati is a much better football team than the one that OSU narrowly defeated in Las Vegas (Pitt). The Beavers must play considerably better on both sides of the ball to have a chance, but especially on defense. I am very wary of this Oregon State secondary, which is still trying to find its identity.

Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly is one of the brightest offensive minds in college football, and his fast paced no-huddle offense has been magnificent so far (ranks #5 nationally in total offense through two games, #2 in scoring). It certainly doesn’t hurt to have an experienced senior QB like Tony Pike, who stands 6-6 225 pounds, and is slinging the ball around about as well as anyone in the country (595 yards passing, 6 TDs, 1 INT through 2 games).

One thing is for sure; we will learn a lot more about Mark Banker’s (OSU D-coordinator) relatively unproven defense this week.

Offensively, the Beavers will need to be able to establish a running game early, because Cincinnati is an active defense that loves to rattle quarterbacks (UC defense has six INTs through two games). QB Sean Canfield will be looking for redemption Saturday, as this is his chance to make up for a terrible 2007 performance in Cincy where he threw three interceptions.

Canfield will need help, and I believe the Rodgers brothers must be at their best, because it’s probably going to take a lot of points to win this game (unlike their last game against a Big East school, 3-0 win over Pitt).

Ultimately, I believe the explosiveness and efficiency of the Cincinnati offense will be a little too much for Oregon State this week.

Prediction: Cincinnati 34 – Oregon State 28

Cincinnati Player to Keep an Eye On: WR/PR Mardy Gilyard – He is one of America’s most explosive all-purpose weapons, and is a threat to score every time he touches the ball (had four TDs last week). The Beavers D must account for him at all times.

Oregon StatePlayer to Keep an Eye On: DT Stephen Paea – He is one of the keys to disrupting Pike and the rest of the Bearcats offense. Paea will make life much easier on the secondary if he is able to lead a sustained pass rush.

Dave’s Take (14 – 4):

I keep going back and forth on who I think is going to pull off the win here, but one thing looks pretty clear to me; there won’t be any shortage of scoring when these two teams take the field.

Cincinnati took a huge hit on defense over the offseason in losing 10 starters. Any time you need to break in so many new faces there is going to be a learning curve, and figuring out how to contain ‘Quizz Rodgers will be the biggest test the Bearcats have faced this season.

For Oregon State, scoring shouldn’t be a problem; Canfield looks good and both Rodgers brothers will likely have a big day against this raw defense. But will the Beavers be able to stop Coach Brian Kelly and QB Tony Pike’s high powered passing attack? A half-hearted effort against Portland State and a dangerous game against UNLV really don’t leave me answering with an emphatic yes.

This one looks to have the makings of a great game, and I can easily see it going either way. In the end, I have to go with Cincinnati; their opening week dominating win at Rutgers was very impressive and proved to me that this team can go into a hostile environment and run its offense.

If Oregon State can pick up the win here, the “slow start” worries should officially be gone, and this would have to be considered one of the conference’s most dangerous teams heading into Pac-10 play.

Prediction: Cincinnati 38 – Oregon State 34