Cincinnati has filled another spot on its 2030 non-conference slate, and the opponent is one the Bearcats already know well.
According to FBSchedules Kevin Kelley, the program will host Murray State at Nippert Stadium on Saturday, August 31, 2030. The game gives Cincinnati a second non-conference matchup for that season, and the Bearcats will pay the Racers a $450,000 guarantee.
The two teams have met once before, with Cincinnati rolling to a 42-7 win over Murray State at home on Sept. 11, 2021. That game came during the Bearcats’ run to the College Football Playoff.
With Murray State now on the books, Cincinnati has two of its three non-conference games set for 2030. The other confirmed matchup is a home date with Michigan State on Sept.
- The Big 12 has not announced league opponents for that season yet, though Cincinnati is slated to play four home games and five road games.
Before any of that arrives, the Bearcats are turning their attention to the present. Fall camp is set to open on campus at the end of this month, and Scott Satterfield’s group is heading into a season where expectations around the Big 12 remain modest.
“We've gotten better every year in this league,” Satterfield said about expectations this fall. “Obviously, when you're making a move up to the Power League, there's going to be some challenges, and I think we certainly have learned a lot over the first three seasons.
Last year we talked about just getting into a new facility in Cincinnati. It's an incredible facility where we house our football team, an indoor facility, a new weight room, a training room, many apparatuses that can help in recovery, aid in recovery, that certainly will help (this year).
“First anniversary getting in the new building, and then also learning the lay of the land and the teams that we have to play in this league, just some great teams, and some great coaches, great players, very competitive, we're having to travel a lot of places throughout the country and playing in some great venues, and in this league we all know you have to bring at your A-game if you want a chance to win. But like everybody else, we're trying to put out a great team of individuals that comes together and plays as a team.”
Cincinnati opens its 2026 season on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Boston College.
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