When the opening kickoff soars through the air Sept. 5 at Nippert Stadium, it will have been 316 days since the University of Cincinnati Bearcats football team last won a football game.
After defeating
the Baylor Bears in a home game last Oct. 25, the Bearcats reached No. 17 in the Associated Press poll, only to have their second consecutive winless November.
Their 2025 was a season of improvement, but after a 7-1 start it was an unfortunate limp to the finish that all parties involved believe needs to be remedied.
"We have to protect our home field; that's so important in the Big 12 because every game is so difficult." UC director of athletics John Cunningham said. "We've got to make sure we finish strong. We haven't done that the last two years. This program understands that and that's going to be part of the challenge this year."
To help continue improvement, contract extensions were given to general manager Zach Grant and director of football sports performance Niko Palazeti in January. Both have been at UC since the entry into the Big 12 in 2023.
Head coach Scott Satterfield enters the fourth year of a six-year contract and also understands the task at hand. UC stays in Cincinnati for all of September but will be road warriors for most of November, with just one home game Nov. 21 vs. Colorado. The end of October features games at Nippert against Texas Tech and Utah, and the regular-season finale is at BYU.
All three of those teams are ranked in most preseason Top 25 polls.
"It's going to be difficult," Satterfield said. "It's hard to go on the road in this league and win, especially if you have to go out West, especially if you're playing at night with a late kick. Those are all factors. We've got to find a way to win."
Cincinnati Bearcats 2026 game-by-game football predictions
Sept. 5: Cincinnati vs. Boston College
- Location, time: Nippert Stadium (38,088), 3:30 p.m.
- About the game: Boston College is supposed to have improved since going 2-10 last season and only beating Fordham and Syracuse. Bill O'Brien is back as coach, and last year was his first losing season in college football. The Bearcats and Eagles have split eight games in the series, with UC last defeating Boston College in the Birmingham Bowl, 38-6, on Jan. 2, 2020. It's a home opener, and UC needs a successful September as their schedule gets rougher by the month.
- Score prediction: Cincinnati 34, Boston College 20
Sept. 12: Cincinnati vs. Western Carolina
- Location, time: Nippert Stadium (38,088), 7 p.m.
- About the game: The Bearcats and Catamounts have only played once with Mark Dantonio's UC team beating them 7-3 at Nippert in 2005 in a yawner. This Western Carolina team can score, as they had seven games of 40 points or more last season when they were 7-5. They are coached by Kerwin Bell, a former successful quarterback for the Florida Gators. His son, Kade, is a hot commodity in the college game and is offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Pitt. This is a buy game where UC needs to put up some numbers and get their subs some playing time.
- Score prediction: Cincinnati 42, Western Carolina 15
Sept. 19: Cincinnati vs. Miami RedHawks
- Location, time: TQL Stadium (26,000), 3:30 p.m.
- About the game: This is thefirst-ever American football game at the home of FC Cincinnati, but it's still a short commute for the Bearcats. The Victory Bell game wasn't played last year, but UC leads the series 61-60-7 after winning 27-16 in Oxford in 2024. Miami broke a 16-game skid when they knocked off UC at Nippert in overtime, 31-24, in 2023. The RedHawks are frequent visitors to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) title game and bowls, so Chuck Martin's men are always a challenge.
- Score prediction: Cincinnati 31, Miami University 24
Sept. 26: Cincinnati vs. Kansas State
- Location, time: Nippert Stadium (38,088), Time TBA
- About the game: Big 12 times are eventually determined by TV, but this is an important one no matter what the time. Former Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein now heads up his alma mater, which was supposed to be better than 6-6 last season. Avery Johnson is back at quarterback, and he owns a 41-15 win over UC back in 2024 when he threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. UC defensive coordinator Nate Woody helped beat the Wildcats last year when he was at Army.
- Score prediction: Cincinnati 28, Kansas State 21
Oct 3: Cincinnati at Arizona
- Location, time: Casino Del Sol Stadium (50,800), Time TBA
- About the game: Quarterback Noah Fifita came in and beat UC last season 30-24 in a game the Bearcats really needed to stay afloat in the Big 12 standings. Fifita is back, and the game will be in Tucson, where early-October temperatures can reach 90 degrees. You could hope the game is at night, but then that brings up time zone differences and travel issues.
- Score prediction: Arizona 28, Cincinnati 17
Oct. 17: Cincinnati at West Virginia
- Location, time: Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium (60,000), Time TBA
- About the game: Regardless of the coach, the Mountaineers have an 18-3-1 advantage in this series. UC's last win came in the Brian Kelly era with Tony Pike at quarterback. The Bearcats gave WVU a 31-24 win in 2024 with Brendan Sorsby playing a turnover-plagued game. Rich Rodriguez was 4-8 last season, but he last lost to UC in 2003. This will be tougher than people think.
- Score prediction: Cincinnati 23, West Virginia 17
Oct. 24: Cincinnati vs. Texas Tech
- Location, time: Nippert Stadium (38,088), Time TBA
- About the game: Gambling maybe shouldn't be mentioned with this contest, but the smart money would guess a night game. The teams last played in 2024, with Brendan Sorsby nearly pulling out a shootout for UC, falling short, 44-41. Will Hammond is the next man in for the Red Raiders, and coach Joey McGuire has a top tight end in Terrance Carter and plenty of depth.
- Score prediction: Texas Tech 38, Cincinnati 24
Oct. 31: Cincinnati vs. Utah
- Location, time: Nippert Stadium (38,088), Time TBA
- About the game: It's Halloween, so maybe another night game could be granted. It can't go much worse than last year's 45-14 walloping at night in Salt Lake City. Morgan Scalley was that defensive coordinator and now is head coach. The time and travel could be a factor, but it will take more than 14 points to beat the Utes.
- Score prediction: Utah 26, Cincinnati 14
Nov. 7: Cincinnati at Houston
- Location, time: TDECU Stadium (40,000), Time TBA
- About the game: Houston went 10-3 under Willie Fritz last season and has a productive quarterback in Connor Weigman. Scott Satterfield is 2-0 against the Cougars in the Big 12, winning 34-0 in 2024 and 24-14 in Houston in 2023. That victory remains the lone November win in three years. Houston hasn't drawn well at home, but if the Cougars are rolling like last year that could change.
- Score prediction: Houston 31, Cincinnati 25
Nov. 14: Cincinnati at Iowa State
- Location, time: Jack Trice Stadium (61,500), Time TBA
- About the game: Matt Campbell has left and taken many former Cyclones and coaches with him. Jimmy Rogers comes from one season at Washington State. Preseason prognosticators have Iowa State ranked last, but that's something that burns Rogers, and by November he may have the RVs lined up waiting for games again in Ames. But UC is due for a November win.
- Score prediction: Cincinnati 24, Iowa State 14
Nov. 21: Cincinnati vs. Colorado
- Location, time: Nippert Stadium (38,088), Time TBA
- About the game: Deion Sanders returns to Cincinnati, where he played for the Cincinnati Reds twice, the last being in 2001. The Buffaloes of "Coach Prime" fell off to 3-9 last season and weren't the same team that ambushed the Bearcats 34-23 in Boulder with NFL talent in 2024. UC is 0-2 vs. Colorado, and this would seem like an opportunity to give UC's seniors a decent send-off.
- Score prediction: Cincinnati 35, Colorado 23
Nov. 28: Cincinnati at BYU
- Location, time: Lavell Edwards Stadium (62,073) Time TBA
- About the game: The Bearcats are 0-4 vs. the Cougars, and November in Provo is no picnic. Coach Kalani Sitake returns quarterback Bear Bachmeier and running back LJ Martin, who plowed the Bearcats at Nippert a year ago, 26-14. UC had some missed field goals and didn't convert red-zone opportunities. This won't be much easier.
- Score prediction: BYU 35, Cincinnati 24
Cincinnati Bearcats final record
Should this crystal ball be correct, it would be a second consecutive 7-5 season, which is where The Enquirer picked them last year. One would think bowl eligibility would be key to avoiding staff changes. Finishing games and successful "middle eights" (last four minutes of the first half and first four minutes of the second half) will once again be crucial.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bearcats football predictions for every game in 2026
