David Pollack is backing an upset in Saturday’s Big 12 showdown, and he’s taking Cincinnati to do it at home against undefeated No. 6 Utah.
On See Ball Get Ball, Pollack and college football data analyst Brent Rollins both leaned toward the Bearcats as a 7-point underdog in a matchup that could shake up the conference race in Week 9. Pollack picked Cincinnati to win 27-24 at Nippert Stadium, where Scott Satterfield’s team now gets a second straight top-25 test with a chance to stay in the thick of the Big 12 conversation.
Utah enters at 7-0 and 4-0 in Big 12 play, sitting one win ahead of No. 8 BYU, No.
13 Texas Tech, No. 22 Arizona and No.
24 Oklahoma State in the league standings. The Utes are also 7-0 for the first time since 2010.
Cincinnati comes in at 5-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play after what may have been its biggest win of the season: a home victory over Texas Tech. The Bearcats used a huge second quarter, outscoring the Red Raiders 21-0 in that stretch, and finished with a 255-173 edge on the ground.
Cole Tabb and quarterback JC French IV combined for 345 yards rushing against Texas Tech’s front, while Will Hammond went 24-of-37 for 227 yards. An interception before halftime helped turn it into a 24-6 Cincinnati lead at the break.
For Utah, last week brought a tougher fight but the same result. Devon Dampier threw two interceptions against Houston, yet the Utes leaned on their defense in a late-night 21-13 win in Salt Lake City.
Dampier still found the end zone twice on the ground and piled up 150 rushing yards, and that kind of dual-threat damage is exactly what Cincinnati has to contain. The Bearcats are allowing 429 total yards per game.
That’s where this game gets interesting for Cincinnati. The Bearcats need to keep Utah guessing and give French room to move the chains.
The Georgia Southern transfer has been sacked eight times over the last three weeks, including three times in last week’s win over Texas Tech. Both French and Tabb had double-digit carries in that game, and Tabb’s 9.6 yards per carry makes him a key piece if Cincinnati wants to keep the tempo up and make Utah defend every inch.
There’s also recent history working in the Utes’ favor. Utah beat Cincinnati 45-14 last year, with Brendan Sorsby and the Bearcats getting handled on the road while Dampier threw two touchdown passes and Utah totaled 213 passing yards. Cincinnati has had trouble with quarterbacks like Dampier before, but this time the rematch comes with the Bearcats in front of their own crowd.
Kickoff is set for 2:45 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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