Cincinnati Football: Breaking down the Bearcats first-ever Big 12 Conference schedule

In the aftermath of the Bearcats inaugural Big 12 Conference schedule being released, check out a few takeaways including must-see matchups, renewed rivalries and win-loss projections!

Cincinnati is scheduled to face Oklahoma in the first ever Big 12 matchup at Nippert Stadium on September 23 and the regular season finale will be against Kansas on November 25.

The Bearcats will face a trio of rivals in Pittsburgh (September 9), Miami (September 16) and West Virginia (November 18), plus former AAC foes UCF (November 4) and Houston (November 11).

Other must-see matchups include road trips to BYU (September 29) and Oklahoma State (October 28), and first-ever meetings against Iowa State (October 14) and Baylor (October 21).

Cincinnati Football: Breaking down the Bearcats first ever Big 12 Conference schedule

• Eastern Kentucky (9/2)
• @ Pittsburgh (9/9)
• Miami (9/16)
• Oklahoma (9/23)
• @ BYU (9/29)
• Iowa State (10/14)
• Baylor (10/21)
• @ Oklahoma State (10/28)
• UCF (11/4)
• @ Houston (11/11)
• @ West Virginia (11/18)
• Kansas (11/25)

Despite reports indicating a potential trip to Texas next season, the Bearcats won’t play four Big 12 opponents including reigning champion Kansas State, TCU, Texas and Texas Tech.

Cincinnati first-year head coach Scott Satterfield is hoping to carry recent success into the Big 12  but adjusting to a new conference with a revamped roster isn’t going to be easy.

It’s difficult to gauge a realistic expectation for next season since the Bearcats are unlikely to challenge for a Big 12 title but should be relatively competitive and reach bowl eligibility.

Even though I’m sure it will change before the season opener kicks off in September, my early prediction is the Bearcats will finish with a 7-5 overall record and 5-4 in Big 12 play.