Birmingham Bowl 2020: Boston College vs. Cincinnati TV Schedule, Time and Odds

The Cincinnati Bearcats were one of the best Group of Five squads all season, but they suffered back-to-back losses to the Memphis Tigers to drop out of New Year's Six contention and into the Birmingham Bowl. 

All three of the defeats suffered by Luke Fickell's side came against New Year's Six participants, as the other was to the Ohio State Buckeyes. 

The American Athletic Conference program comes into Thursday with four more wins than the Boston College Eagles. 

The Eagles won their regular-season finale to become bowl eligible, but it was not enough to save Steve Addazio's job. He was replaced by Ohio State defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. 

Boston College will be at a disadvantage in many areas versus Cincinnati, but the biggest could be in the run game, as running back A.J. Dillon is skipping the contest to prepare for the 2020 NFL draft. 

Birmingham Bowl Information

Date: Thursday, January 2

Start Time: 3 p.m. ET 

TV: ESPN 

Odds (via Caesars): Cincinnati (-7); Over/Under: 55

Preview

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Even though the Bearcats enter Legion Field with two straight losses, they are in a much better spot to win the Birmingham Bowl. 

Boston College fell in three of its last five contests, and it was dominated by the two ranked foes it faced. 

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Clemson Tigers outscored the Eagles by a combined score of 99-14. 

That is a good sign for Cincinnati, which is undefeated against programs outside the Top 25 with six double-digit victories. 

To reverse their form, the Bearcats need better production out of quarterback Desmond Ridder, who has not thrown a touchdown pass since November 9. 

The sophomore produced 233 passing yards in the second loss to Memphis, but he only completed 44.4 percent of his pass attempts. 

Ridder and Michael Warren II can also threaten the Boston College defense with their legs. Warren leads the team with 1,160 rushing yards and 14 scores, while the quarterback is second in ground yardage with 545.

Covering the seven-point spread and hitting the over of 55 points could happen since the ACC squad owns one of the worst FBS defenses. 

The Eagles allow the sixth-worst yards per game at 480.3, which is the second-highest total of all bowl participants. 

Only three of Boston College's 12 opponents totaled fewer than 20 points: the FCS Richmond Spiders, Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Pittsburgh Panthers. 

The one advantage on paper the Eagles have is in scoring offense, as they average 30.9 points per game compared to Cincinnati's 29.

But Thursday's production is expected to dip since Dillon was responsible for 1,685 of their 3,214 rushing yards and 14 of their 27 ground scores. 

David Bailey, who will receive the bulk of the carries, is second to Dillon with 816 rushing yards and seven scores. 

But instead of possessing two running backs who can hit the opposing defense, Boston College only has one available, which may help Cincinnati approach the Birmingham Bowl from a defensive standpoint. 

If the Bearcats bottle up the run, they should have enough firepower to pull away by more than one score. 

If that occurs, Boston College's struggles against ranked foes could continue, and its awful postseason run may extend into a new decade. 

Since 2008, the ACC side is 1-6 in bowl games, with the only victory coming in the 2016 QuickLane Bowl over the Michigan State Spartans.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.