The Cincinnati Bearcats open week three of the 2025 college football season with their only FCS opponent of the season, the Northwestern State Demons. This is the last game before the Bearcats open conference play for the final 9 weeks of the regular season.
Northwestern State competes in the Southland Conference, where they went 0-9 in conference and 0-12 overall. The Demons' defense gave up an average of 45.41 points per game last season, while their offense scored an average of 12 points per game, being shut out four times last season.
The Bearcats should have no problem beating the Demons with ease, and this game was likely scheduled to serve as a tune-up game before Big 12 play starts the following week. Tune-up games are extremely common in college football, especially in the Power 4 conferences where teams will schedule a lesser opponent before a tough game or stretch of games to get the team's confidence and spirit up.
The last time the Bearcats played an FCS opponent was during week one of last year, when they faced Towson. As many fans likely recall, the Bearcats won the game fairly convincingly, with a final score of 38-20, but only after overcoming a rough start. The defense gave up a 76-yard passing touchdown at the beginning of the second quarter while also letting their quarterback pass for 244 yards and another touchdown pass later in the game.
However, the fact that the Bearcats play this FCS opponent in week three instead of week one makes it likely that most of the offseason rust will be off by then, and the Bearcats should win convincingly. Towson did finish 7-5 overall last season, not 0-12 like Northwestern State. I fully expect the Bearcats to score at least 45 points while giving up no more than 14. Northwestern State is not a good football team, and if Scott Satterfield can get the team fired for Conference play, this game should be over in the first 2 possessions.