Notre Dame a slight home 'dog to an American Conference team. Is this true?
 
It is. The oddsmaker is telling you Cincinnati is better than Notre Dame and I'm reinforcing that. 

Notre Dame buried Wisconsin last week, but the Irish have struggled this season. They needed overtime to defeat Florida State and they struggled against Toledo and Purdue before pulling those victories out in the fourth quarter. 

Cincinnati is way above those teams. The Bearcats have had ample rest and preparation time, too, for this matchup having been idle last week. 
Notre Dame has been inconsistent running the ball and not had good pass protection. The Irish's young offensive line has yet to come together. That should prove fatal in this game. Jack Coan has put together a better-than-expected season for Notre Dame, but he's not a mobile quarterback. 

Cincinnati QB Desmnond Ridder is. Ridder is the best QB the Irish have faced. He has a good runner in Jerome Ford and several skilled wide receivers.