In week ten of the 2025 college football season, the Cincinnati Bearcats will be taking on the Arizona Wildcats for the first time in program history. The game will be taking place on November 15, at Nippert Stadium.
The Bearcats and Wildcats are both new to the Big 12, Cincinnati coming into their third season and Arizona coming into their second.
The Wildcats had a record of 4-8 last season, 2-7 in the Big 12, one of the few teams with a worse conference record than the Bearcats.
Arizona also loses several big-time performers from last season, including Tetairoa McMillan, who went 8 overall to the Carolina Panthers. They are returning their starting quarterback, Noah Fifitia, who passed for 2,958 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Fifitia took a bit of a step back from 2023, where he threw for 25 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, helping Arizona to a 10-3 record.
According to many college football experts, Arizona isn't due to have a very successful bounce-back season. Most lists have them finishing 16th to 12th in the Big 12, with their season win total line on FanDuel being at 5.5, and odds to win the Big 12 at +3700.
The Wildcats have 26 players coming in through the Transfer Portal and have the No. 8 class in the Big 12, just ahead of the Bearcats at No. 10.
Their top incoming transfers are Michael Dansby, a cornerback from San Jose State, Deshawn McKnight, a defensive lineman from UT Martin, and Tre Spivey III, a wide receiver from Kansas State.
Arizona will likely be one of the easier Big 12 matchups, alongside Oklahoma State and UCF, and should be a key game for the Bearcats late in the season as they try to make a push for a bowl game/ top 25 honors.