Rece Davis predicts winner of Cincinnati-Utah on Saturday

Rece Davis predicted the winner of Week 10's matchup between Cincinnati and Utah as ESPN's College GameDay will be in Salt Lake City.

ESPN's Rece Davis picked the winner of Week 10's matchup between Cincinnati and Utah. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The College GameDay crew will be back in Salt Lake City this weekend, and ESPN analyst Rece Davis has already made his pick for the primetime matchup between No. 17 Cincinnati and No. 24 Utah. On Wednesday’s episode of the College GameDay podcast, Davis said he expects Utah to defend its home field and earn a critical win in the Big 12 race.

The matchup brings together two of the league’s most physical teams, both led by star quarterbacks with NFL potential. Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby has drawn first-round buzz after a breakout season, while Utah’s balanced offense continues to produce behind Devon Dampier and Wayshawn Parker. The game also marks the first-ever meeting between the programs, and the energy at Rice-Eccles Stadium is expected to be electric with College GameDay on campus.

Davis said this weekend’s game carries significant postseason weight for both programs, calling it a must-win scenario for Utah to stay alive in the Big 12 title chase.

Rece Davis Picks Utah To Win At Home Over Cincinnati

During the College GameDay podcast, Davis laid out his reasoning for picking the Utes. “I’m riding with the Utes, too. Cincinnati has given up a lot of yards a lot of different times. Kansas probably should have beaten them,” Davis said. “I think Cincinnati is a really good team—they’re still going to be in the thick of the Big 12 race even with this road loss if they get it. Utah’s not completely out of the Big 12 race, though it’s unlikely because of head-to-head tiebreakers. Utah’s not out if they get some chaos around them. They would be if they lose this game. It’s sort of a desperation game for them, and I think the atmosphere will be strong. Both teams will run the ball effectively. I’ll go with Utah as well. I think they’ll pull it out at home.”

Cincinnati enters the matchup 7-1, powered by an offense averaging 38.3 points per game and led by Sorsby’s 19 touchdown passes. Utah, 6-2, comes off a 53-7 rout of Colorado, featuring a dominant 422-yard rushing performance and a defense that allows just 14.3 points per game.

Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) has thrown for 1,375 yards, 13 touchdowns and four picks along with 442 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Utah’s defense ranks among the nation’s best, holding opponents to 285.4 total yards per game and excelling on third down, converting offensively at a 54.2% rate while allowing minimal passing success. Cincinnati’s discipline could be tested again, as the Bearcats rank near the bottom nationally in penalty yards per game.

With both teams strong on the ground and in the red zone, Davis expects the deciding factor to be Utah’s defensive pressure and home-field advantage in Salt Lake City.

The Utes will host the Bearcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday at 10:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.