Cincinnati Bearcats 2025 College Football Preview, Prediction, Betting ideas

Cincinnati

View From Afar: This feels like the make-or-break year for Scott Satterfield. 8-16 in his two years on the job and a 5-game skid to end last season, 5-7. The Big 12 in all its beauty was on full display last season as this Cincy team beat the eventual champions, Arizona State, back in October. Glenn and Veidt remain in place to call the offense and defense, respectively, so this is a situation where a coach is determined to make it work his way at all costs. Satterfield went 25-24 in his tenure at Louisville, so this is a big year for him to get his team into the winning column. The App State days feel far gone. With his QB Sorsby back to lead the offense and his main man on defense, Corleone(DT), he's got the pieces in place to get back to a bowl. That's got to be the minimum standard for Bearcat fans in '25.

Recruiting: Cincinnati came in with the 14th-ranked recruiting class in '25, a decline from the #8 class they pulled in '24. I don't love to see that level of drop-off for the Bearcats. Let's see if 4 star from the class of '24 Daniel James(CB) has a nice year as a redshirt freshman.

Portal: Cincy went out and got the #4 portal class in the conference; they went out and got some big gets! Joe Cotton(OT) seemed to have many big-time offers but chose the Bearcats. McDoom(CB) was all sunbelt coming over from Coastal. Tyo(G) was a third-team MAC selection, so more depth on the o-line. Lastly, Walker(RB) had a solid year, gaining honorable mention in the Big 10 last season at Wisconsin. That's a decent get! Many of the losses seemingly stepped down a level, so that's also a positive sign.

Roster tidbits: Sorsby (QB) is back behind center. He threw for 18 TDs a year ago and also rushed for 9, a sneaky dual-threat ability here. Gerhardt(C) graded well last year and will be surrounded by some of those nice gets in the portal. You bring back all Big 12 TE Royer, and the rest of the skill positions will be all transfers. I like how Walker is proven at a high level, Caldwell(WR) comes over from Lindenwood but was a finalist for FCS offensive player of the year (Walter Payton Award), let's see if he translates! Defensively Corleone returns after being first team all big 12. Golday (LB) was a standout last season. White-McClain(edge) was solid in the sun-belt previous season, let's see how he does stepping up in class.

Statistical pulse: Cincy was 1-4 in one-score games last season, unlucky or questionable decision making? The Bearcats ranked 119 nationally last season in opponent red zone scoring percentage, so they didn't have many answers in crunch moments.

Schedule: The Bearcats open with a fun one against Nebraska in Arrowhead. They have to go to Utah and TCU. Getting Baylor, BYU and Iowa State in Cincinnati, not terrible all things considered.

Prediction: Cincy is similar to Kansas in that they are so challenging to predict. If you told me this team finished 4-8 and Satterfield was gone after the season, I wouldn't bat an eye. Yet you could also tell me this team snuck into the Big 12 title game through nasty play in the trenches on both sides of the ball, and enough plays in the air and on the ground from the QB to grind out 9,10 wins. Ultimately, the QB is solid, but not quite good enough to make up for the lack of weapons and big plays he will need to make to keep this team in ball games. Couple that with a coaching staff I don't have much faith in to piece it all together. The proof is in the pudding, and Satterfield has not wowed for quite some time. Cincy goes 5-7 and disappoints.

Actionable: Who doesn't love the alt award markets! I haven't seen them posted yet but Joe Royer to win the Mackey as the best TE in College Football would be a fun bet to have in pocket! He caught 50 balls a year ago and had 3 TDs, and I also like that the WR room is a big question mark, he could be a go to man for Sorsby and put up numbers! Be on the lookout for those odds!