Cincinnati Deals With Tragedy as It Prepares to Face Ohio State
By Charles Jay
The Cincinnati Bearcats had a tougher time than usual last weekend when they played long-time traditional rival Miami of Ohio. But things have gotten a lot tougher during the week. This is a team that has to bury one of its own as it prepares to face a dangerous foe, as they will be in Columbus on Saturday as big underdogs in the NCAA football odds against the Ohio State Buckeyes, as the game kicks off at 6 PM ET at Ohio Stadium, affectionately known as the “Horseshoe.”
Chamoda Kennedy-Palmore, who made the Cincinnati team as a walk-on and played mostly on the scout team, died in a motorcycle accident on Thursday, making this the second tragedy in two years to befell a team member, as in 2013 freshmen lineman Ben Flick was killed in a car accident, which coincidentally happened after last year’s Miami game.
Needless to say, this is a team in mourning.
According to coach Tommy Tuberville: “I’m a father first and a coach second, and it’s always hard to put your thoughts into words during times like these. Chamoda was a talented non scholarship player and a key member of our scout teams. He worked hard and earned his spot on the roster. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
In the NCAA football odds that are posted by the folks at BetAnySports, the Buckeyes are the double-digit favorites:
Ohio State Buckeyes -17.5
Cincinnati Bearcats +17.5
Over 62 Points -110
Under 62 Points -110
This sounds hard to believe, but Ohio State has not lost to another school within the state of Ohio since 1921. That was presumably when Oberlin was playing big-time college football. But Cincinnati gave the Buckeyes a real scare twelve years ago when they got oh-so-close, only losing the 23-19 decision because they dropped some sure touchdown passes. How significant was that near-upset? Well, OSU went on to win the national title that season.
Urban Meyer was a player at Cincinnati, before he moved on to his coaching career. And NCAA football bettors at BetAnySports shouldn’t believe that he has conditioned his team to overlook this matchup, even with the misfortune surrounding the Bearcats right now and Ohio State has its Big Ten opener on tap next week.
The Buckeyes had last week off; two weeks ago they blew out Kent State 66-0, and the game served a special purpose in that it gave quarterback J.T. Barrett an opportunity to gain some confidence and air it out, as he had 312 yards and six TD tosses.
Gunner Kiel has also experienced a six-TD day, which took place against yet another Ohio school, the Toledo Rockets, in his season debut, and is being counted on by coach Tommy Tuberville to steady this ship after sitting out last season as was required by his transfer from Notre Dame.
Cincinnati certainly can’t afford another effort like they had last week, as in the annual “Victory Bell” hookup with Miami (started in 1888) they managed just 99 rushing yards on the way to a 31-24 victory. That failed by a mile to cover the 29-point impost in the NCAA football odds at BetAnySports, where you can take advantage of reduced juice on many college games, as well as the NFL, with customer service that speaks YOUR language!