Cincinnati Bearcats 2026 College Football Preview
Posted July 29, 2026
2025 Recap
Record – 7-6
ATS – 6-7
So, what you’re telling me is that the music is about to stop, and we’re going to be left holding the biggest bag of odorous excrement ever assembled…”
— John Tuld, Margin Call (2011)
Well, that was something. The Bearcats clawed their way to a 7-1 start, and they could’ve easily been 8-0 if not for a close shave against Nebraska in the opener. Unfortunately, that seven-game winning streak faded quickly into the rearview mirror as Cincinnati collapsed down the stretch, losing their final four regular-season contests by an average score of 37-19. Things didn’t get any better in bowl season as they were smashed by Navy in the Liberty Bowl.
Cincinnati Bearcats 2026 Outlook
OFFENSE
2025 By The Numbers (Big 12):
- Scoring: 30.3 PPG (#9)
- Total Offense: 407.3 YPG (#7)
- Rushing: 176.1 YPG (#6)
- Passing: 231.2 YPG (#5)
- Sacks Allowed: 8 (#1)
The Bearcats have a monumental task in front of them trying to replace star QB Brendan Sorsby, who threw for 2,800 yards, rushed for another 580, and tallied 36 total TDs — all while getting down five figures on senior women’s BOWLING PROPS. JC French rolls into The Queen City from Georgia Southern, where he threw for nearly 6,000 yards during his time with the Eagles and showed plenty of moxie on the ground with 6 rushing scores. French can be a bit loose with the football (38-20 career TD to INT ratio), but he’s a veteran who can keep things moving in a balanced attack.
The top two RBs who combined for over 1,200 rushing yards need to be replaced as well, and while it appears the Bearcats have assembled a decent committee, it remains to be seen if they’ve found a true RB1. Two guys likely to get the lion’s share of the action early on are Notre Dame (!) transfer and local product Gi’Bran Payne and Louisiana transfer Zylan Perry (689 yards, 8 TDs), who can really bring it between the tackles.
The entire WR/TE group needs to be rebuilt from scratch, with only one holdover back in the mix who recorded more than 100 receiving yards last year. That won’t make life easy on French. Lone returnee Isaiah Johnson is likely assured a starting spot, but beyond him, you’re looking at a mix of youngsters and largely unproven transfers. One guy to keep an eye on is Oklahoma transfer JV Gibson; he’s coming off an injury-plagued season with the Sooners, but was an absolute monster at Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2024 (1,215 yards, 9 TDs).
The best news on this side of the ball is up front. The Bearcats boast one of the few Big 12 offensive lines returning a trio of excellent starters, led by stud LT Joe Cotton.
DEFENSE
2025 By The Numbers (Big 12):
- Scoring: 25.6 PPG (#10)
- Total Defense: 399.2 YPG (#13)
- Rushing Defense: 178.8 YPG (#13)
- Passing Defense: 273.2 YPG (#14)
- Sacks: 23 (#10)
The Bearcats were below-average across the board last season, and they haven’t been nearly as stingy since joining the Big 12 in 2023. New DC Nate Woody spent six years turning Army into one of the most disciplined defenses in the country, and he reunites with Scott Satterfield after running his defense at Appalachian St. You’ve gotta believe he can make an immediate difference.
Up front, the Bearcats had to hit the transfer portal to re-tool the trenches. FCS standout Thomas Johnson (North Carolina Central) brings serious heat off the edge after recording 12 sacks (!) and 18 TFLs last year, while 335-pound interior plugger Josh Hough (California (Pa.)) provides the massive size needed inside to anchor Woody’s front. They could still use more experience and depth on the defensive line, but those pieces are a great start.
The LB corps is easily the best layer of the stop unit, led by proven playmakers Jonathan Thompson (#2 tackler, 8.5 TFLs), Simeon Coleman, and NIU transfer Filip Maciorowski (87 tackles, 2.5 sacks) who’ll clean up plenty of messes in the middle. The back end was a disaster last year — Cincinnati surrendered a 67% completion rate while picking off a mere TWO passes all year (dead last in the FBS). Secondary play remains a major area of concern, but the hope is that high-impact transfers like safety MJ Cannon (Bowling Green) can step in and stabilize things right away.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Things look okay. Cincinnati has an experienced kicking tandem in punter Max Fletcher (41.7 net) and PK Stephen Rusnak (13/17 FG, 4/8 from 40+ yards), but they need to find new primary return dudes.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – We love the look of the non-conference schedule, as it seems very likely the Bearcats roar out to a 3-0 start. That said, the Big 12 slate is an absolute gauntlet. They’ve gotta face three conference heavyweights (Texas Tech, Utah, and at BYU) while also hitting the HIGHWAY for tricky road tests at Houston and Arizona. Yikes.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – at Houston (Nov 7)
This road test follows back-to-back physical wars against Texas Tech and Utah, and to make matters worse, the Houston Cougars will be sitting at home rested up off a bye week.
Season Win Total
Market consensus – July 29
Over 5.5 +125
Under 5.5 -145
MEGALOCKS says:
Lean: Over
We’re not at all enamored with the roster, but that win total is a fair price at plus money — especially if they jump out to a 3-0 start. We count six winnable conference games, including tilts with Colorado and the corpse of Iowa St.
Note – Our official list of season win total investments will be posted in the blog section of the website.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
Nippert Stadium isn’t just one of college football’s oldest venues — it was built inside a drained campus lagoon. Opened as a permanent concrete structure in 1915, it ranks as the third-oldest active stadium in FBS. UC chose a sunken, marshy ravine in Burnet Woods, filled the old lagoon, and turned the surrounding hillsides into natural amphitheater walls. Spicy NIPPERT NUGGETS delivered straight to your plate, yo.
HC Scott Satterfield is a disappointing 14-21-2 ATS (40%) with the Bearcats, including a brutal 9-16-2 mark against the spread in conference play (36%).
The Bearcats have lost four bowl games in a row.
MEGALOCKS Forecast:
The Bearcats have increased their win total in each of the last two seasons, showing real GREEN SHOOTS of growth last year before their late-season collapse. The offense looks a bit one-dimensional, but the good news is they’ll be able to run the football behind an excellent offensive line. The defense looks suspect to say the least, which puts a firm ceiling on what this year’s squad can accomplish.
The Big 12 slate doesn’t do them many favors, but there are enough winnable games to give them a reasonable floor. It looks like a 50/50 shot to make a bowl game, and if we had to guess, we think they’ll find a way to slither into the postseason.
Go Bearcats!