In week nine of the 2025 college football season, the Cincinnati Bearcats will be taking on the Utah Utes on November 1 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Bearcats are going into their third season as a part of the Big 12, and the Utes their second; this will be the first matchup between these two schools in college football history.
The Utes finished 5-7 last season but had a 2-7 record in the Big 12, good enough for 13 in the conference, 2 spots lower than the Bearcats.
The Utes parted ways with 7-year quarterback Cam Rising, who spent 6 seasons with the Utes and 1 with Texas. Rising only played 3 games in 2024 due to a leg and head injury, and would've been granted another year of eligibility, but ultimatley thought it was time to move after a career full of injuries.
With Rising's absence, Utah turned to the younger brother of former third overall pick Zach Wilson. Issac Wilson passed for 1,510 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 7 starts and 9 appearances last season.
Wilson is the projected backup at the moment, as Transfer quarterback Devon Dampier from New Mexico transferred in this offseason.
Dampier passed for 2,712 yards last season while throwing 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Dampier also added an extremely impressive 1,166 yards and 19 touchdowns running last season, enough to make him the preseason Big 12 newcomer of the year.
Dampier will be playing in Utah's spread style offense, which is sure to elevate his skills at quarterback, making him a true dual-threat.
Utah also brought in Dayshawn Parker, a running back from Washington State who ran for 735 yards and 4 touchdowns, averaging 5.4 yards per carry last season.
The Utes also brought in a pair of receivers, Creed Whittemore from Mississippi State and Larry Simmons from Southern Mississippi. Whittemore didn't see the field a ton last season but is still a promising prospect to make some noise next season. Simmons caught 27 passes for 427 yards and a touchdown last season, making him due for a bigger year surrounded by some better athletes.
Utah also returns Linebacker Landon Barton, who had 72 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 1 forced fumble. He was the leader of the defense last season and
They added some depth to their secondary with Blake Cotton coming in for UC Davis, along with JC Hart from Auburn and Don Saunders from Texas A&M.
Utah is currently projected to finish as high as No.2 and as low as No. 6 in the Big 12, with their preseason win total being at 7.5 according to FanDuel.
The Utes will be one of the toughest opponents for the Bearcats this upcoming season along with Baylor, Iowa State, and Nebraska.
Cincinnati matches up well against the Utes with more of their strength being in the front seven on defense and in skill positions on offense.
This game will be one of the best of the season. Be sure to tune in on November 1.