Major Analytic Models Rank Cincinnati Bearcats Football Ahead of 2025 Season

Right around the middle.

Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) throws a pass during the Cincinnati Bearcats football spring practice at Nippert Stadium on Saturday, April 12, 2025. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The 2025 college football offseason officially ends in just a few days as major analytic projections start funneling out ahead of Cincinnati's first game against Nebraska next Thursday.

ESPN's FPI (UC ranks 53rd), SP+ (59th), Kelley Ford Ratings (49th), and Projected FEI ratings (44th) are all live ahead of the 2025 season, with Cincinnati in the same range among all four.

Averaged out, Cincinnati has a consensus ranking of 51.25 nationally. That should be at least enough to mine out six wins from the 2024 schedule and finish with a bowl appearance for the first time in the Scott Satterfield era.

"This is a deep conference; anyone can win it, including the Cincinnati Bearcats," UC head coach Scott Satterfield said about the Big 12 this summer. "This is our best team since I've been there, top to bottom."

Cincinnati has a nice mix of returnees and veteran stalwarts that know what UC is all about.

“Because of the players that we brought back that have great experience in the Big 12,” Satterfield said at Big 12 Media Days. ‘Our leaders are right here today (Brendan Sorsby, Dontay Corleone, Joe Royer, Gavin Gerhardt., I think we did a great job in the portal to get positions of need. Also, this is the best chemistry we’ve had with the guys that are on our roster. It’s a connected football team.”

Cincinnati's first opponent, Nebraska, has an average ranking of 31.75 among these four metrics. The two sides clash at 9 p.m. ET next Thursday.

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