The Cincinnati Bearcats head into this weekend’s college football action as one of two teams at 5-0 in Big 12 play, alongside BYU.
The Bearcats take on BYU’s arch-nemesis, the Utah Utes, in Salt Lake City for a huge matchup at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday night.
Let’s dive into this Cincinnati vs. Utah prediction for this Big 12 showdown, kicking off at 10:15 p.m. ET on ESPN this Saturday.
Cincinnati vs. Utah Prediction, Preview for Week 10
The Bearcats finished 3-6 in conference play last season, but haven’t lost a Big 12 game this season in five tries.
Since losing the season opener to Nebraska, Cincinnati has won seven straight games, capped off by a 41-20 rout of Baylor last Saturday. The Bearcats have topped the 37-point mark in four of five conference victories.
All six of Utah’s victories have come by 25 or more points, as the Utes are fresh off a 53-7 rout of Colorado last week. Since losing its Big 12 opener to Texas Tech, Utah has scored at least 42 points in three of the last four games.
Cincinnati Bearcats
- The Bearcats rank fourth in the country in EPA/pass and 17th in EPA/rush.
- Cincinnati rushed for 272 combined yards against UCF and Oklahoma State. The Bearcats nearly eclipsed that number against Baylor last Saturday with 265 yards on the ground.
- From a defensive standpoint, UC ranks 113th in the nation in rush success rate at 43.5%. The only team worse in this category among Big 12 teams is Arizona, who ranks 124th.
Utah Utes
- The Utes blew out Colorado last Saturday thanks to an impressive performance from backup QB Byrd Ficklin. The freshman rushed for a 63-yard TD on Utah’s first drive and finished with 161 rushing yards.
- However, Ficklin may not get an encore performance this week, as incumbent starting QB Devon Dampier is expected to play after suffering an ankle injury against BYU.
- Utah’s defense is ranked ninth in the nation in EPA/pass, a slight dip from fourth in 2024.
Cincinnati vs. Utah Picks & CFB DFS
Below are the top CFB DFS picks for Friday night’s battle between Cincinnati and Utah.
Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby Projection: 207.5 Passing Yards
- Sorsby has finished below this passing yards projection in two of the last three games. The junior threw for 111 yards in the victory over Baylor last week.
- On the road, Sorsby has racked up 388 passing yards at Kansas and 284 yards at Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks are 91st in defensive EPA/pass, while the Cowboys sit 113th in that category.
- Utah has not allowed more than 200 passing yards in any of the past four games.
- In seven of eight games, Sorsby has completed 21 or fewer passes. The Utes have yielded at least 21 completions once this season, coming in their loss to Texas Tech last month.
Utah QB Devon Dampier Projection: 190.5 Passing Yards
- Dampier has not posted consecutive games of 200+ passing yards this season. He threw for 244 yards in the 24-21 loss to BYU on October 18, but did not suit up in the rout of Colorado last Saturday.
- At home, Dampier has been limited to 192 or fewer passing yards. The 192-yard effort came against FCS squad Cal Poly, but the junior compiled 162 yards against Texas Tech and 104 yards against Arizona State.
- He faces a Cincinnati defense that ranks 89th in the country in EPA/pass. The Bearcats have not allowed more than 149 passing yards in each of the last two weeks after giving up at least 200 passing yards in the first five games against FBS opponents.
- Dampier’s rushing projection of 48.5 yards may be worth a look, as he has rushed for 184 yards in the last two games.
Utah K Dillon Curtis Projection: 6.5 Kicking Points
- The freshman kicker has made a total of 1 field goal in three home games this season.
- He is coming off his most productive game of 2025, posting 15 points against Colorado. Curtis knocked down 3 field goals and made 6 extra points.
- Curtis has averaged 7.8 points per game this season, while eclipsing this prop in five of eight games.
- The Bearcats have yielded 2 field goals in the last four games and have not given up more than 6 points to a kicker during this span.
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Cincinnati looks to move to 6-0 in Big 12 play with a victory at Utah on Saturday night. The Utes try to improve to 4-2 in their first-ever conference matchup with the Bearcats.
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