The Cincinnati Bearcats under head coach Scott Satterfield are no strangers to early-season success and late-season disappointment. In 2024, the Cincinnati Bearcats started 5-2 and just beat the eventual Big 12 champions, Arizona State. They went on to lose 5 straight games, going 5-7 and missing out on a bowl game. This past season in 2025, the Bearcats started 7-1, were ranked as high as No. 17 before they lost their final four Big 12 games to the Utah Utes, Arizona Wildcats, BYU Cougars, and the TCU Horned Frogs. They would extend their losing streak to five by losing to Navy in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
You can blame the past two seasons on Satterfield or the quarterback for the past two seasons, Brendan Sorsby, the team in general, or just playing tougher games later in the season. But it's hard to push the blame on just one of those options. The Bearcats have lost 10 straight games in November, dating back to November 11th, 2024, when the Bearcats got their first Big 12 win on the road over the Houston Cougars 24-14. In November this season, the Bearcats have a favorable schedule to end their November woes with Houston, Iowa State, Colorado, and BYU. The Houston Cougars and the BYU Cougars are both supposed to be tougher opponents in the Big 12 this season. Iowa State lost Matt Campbell and a bunch of players to Penn State, and Colorado is projected to finish at the bottom of the league, with most sportsbooks having their win over/under at 4.5.
In general, if the Bearcats want to avoid another late-season losing streak, the easiest option is probably beating either Iowa State (in Ames, IA) or Colorado (at Nippert Stadium). The Bearcats' early schedule is easier, with their tougher games coming in mid-to-late October with games against Texas Tech and Utah.
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