College Football Picks - Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Betting Line Rutgers by 4 1/2 (47 1/2 o/u); ESPN-HD; Kickoff - 4 pm ET; Rutgers Stadium; Piscataway NJ

There will be no warm up game, no cup-cake opening for Cincinnati and Rutgers. No sir, these guys are rolling up their sleeves and bringing the lunch pail for their BIG EAST and season opening Labor Day matchup at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway, NJ. This is a crucial game for these schools since neither can afford a big conference loss this early. The winner gets an early jump in BIG EAST play while the loser will dig itself an early hole.

At Sportsbetting.com, college football picks oddsmakers list the Scarlet Knights as 4 1/2-chalk favorites versus Cincinnati with a 47 1/2 total.

Early Sportsbetting.com wagering trends show the public is almost split down the middle on this game with only 51 percent taking Rutgers and the points while 49 percent like the Bearcats getting 4 1/2 points.

College Football Picks: Rutgers is the safer bet here. Many BIG EAST pundits picked Pitt to win the title but expect Rutgers to rise like a Phoenix and threaten for the league title. The Bearcats are thin, especially on defense and should not pose a problem for the Scarlet Knights.