Cincinnati Bearcats are given low expectations by this college football "expert"

As the college football season approaches its start on August 29th, the Cincinnati Bearcats ' expectations from experts are becoming clearer and clearer. Tim Kalinowski of Snapback Sports released his 2026 College Football Sparknotes and didn't hold back on the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Kalinowski picked the Bearcats to finish 14th in the Big 12, behind the Kansas Jayhawks and the Iowa State Cyclones.

His assessment of likely starting quarterback JC French was good, saying, "In comes French, a two-year starter at Georgia Southern: 20 TDs, 8 picks, and 300 rushing yards. Can throw it a mile and uses his legs well, a natural scheme fit."

Kalinowski is concerned with the offensive skill position players, saying, "the skill positions are completely wiped out, losing their top RBs, including Tawee Walker, and top four pass catchers, including Cyrus Allen. Notre Dame transfer Gi'Bran Payne and Zion Johnson (returner) will battle for carries." On the bright side, Kalinowski thinks that the Bearcats' offensive line will be great again with Evan Tengesdahl, Taran Tyo and Joe Cotton all returning from last year's line.

He calls the Cincinnati Bearcats defense a "large overhaul," which could be a good thing given how inconsistent the unit was last season. He does note that non-Power 4 transfers MJ Cannon (Bowling Green), Thomas Johnson (NC Central), and Filip Maciorowski (Northern Illinois) should all be big contributors for Nate Woody in his first season as the Bearcats' defensive coordinator.

Kalinowski's verdict for the Bearcats is that it's not their year, saying, "Coming off Satterfield's first bowl appearance here, the roster is gutted. They did their best to patch the losses on offense and are overhauling the defense, but the talent just isn't there. Not to mention a really difficult Big 12 draw. It would take a lot to find their way into another bowl game."

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