Saturday’s Big 12 matchup in Cincinnati brings together two teams riding very different kinds of momentum, and both have a clear agenda. No.
6 Utah arrives unbeaten and looking to keep building its case near the top of the conference, while Cincinnati is trying to stack another statement win after taking down then-No. 8 Texas Tech.
Utah has done its damage with a style built on control and toughness. The Utes are 7-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play, and they’ve leaned on a defense that has been giving up only 14.6 points per game.
That group, led by linebacker Trey Reynolds, also ranks eighth nationally against the run. On the other side of the ball, quarterback Devon Dampier has kept Utah moving, with the offense averaging 478.4 total yards per game.
The Utes needed all of that resilience last Saturday in a 21-13 home win over then-No. 14 Houston. Afterward, Utah coach Morgan Scalley made it clear what stood out to him.
"So grateful for our guys, their fight. That's what you need," Utah coach Morgan Scalley said Monday.
"I don't really care about the stats. I'm so proud of these guys, just their fight.
Devon Dampier, he's our guy. So proud of his fight, and the defense came up with stop after stop (vs.
Houston)."
Cincinnati has its own confidence after a 37-24 win over then-No. 8 Texas Tech, the biggest victory of the Scott Satterfield coaching era (2023-26). It came a week after the Bearcats were left frustrated in a 45-42 loss at West Virginia, a game in which they led by a touchdown six times.
"We just needed a little something in the pass defense. Just a little something," Satterfield said.
"We just could never get the stop to go up two scores. In the past, the conference games, that's what's happened."
The Bearcats’ offense has been electric, averaging 455.3 yards per game, and it is built heavily around the ground attack. That formula worked against Texas Tech, which entered that game with the No. 5 rushing defense in the country.
Cincinnati ran for 255 yards, with Cole Tabb putting together a career day: 173 rushing yards and a 58-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Tabb was later named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, while MJ Cannon earned the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week honor.
The win over Texas Tech also pushed Cincinnati to 5-0 at home and gave the program its highest-ranked home win since a 30-11 victory over No. 7 Rutgers on Nov.
18, 2006. The Bearcats also received votes in the AP Top 25 for the second time this season.
Now they get one of the toughest tests on their schedule. Utah brings the No. 8 rushing offense in the country at 234.6 yards per game, and its defense is equally stout against the run at 88.3 yards allowed per game, also eighth nationally. With both teams ranking in the top 20 nationally in total offense, Saturday’s matchup has all the makings of a physical, high-level conference fight.
In Other News...
Utah GameDay Controversy Just Took A Much Darker Turn
The fallout from the recent College GameDay stop at the University of Utah has gone well beyond a television segment and into something far more personal for Pat McAfee. After the university apologized for a social media post that made him uncomfortable, McAfee said the reaction around the show has turned uglier, with the longtime broadcaster addressing the broader wave of criticism that has followed him and revisiting how security was handled at a previous college event.
McAfee also spent time clarifying the reports about a bulletproof vest, saying the conversation has been distorted as the controversy has escalated. He said he is grateful for the career he has built, but the tone around the Utah incident has clearly left a mark, and it remains part of a larger conversation about how quickly a college football broadcast moment can spill into something much more serious. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Just Landed A Texas DB For A Reason Fans Will Love
Darrod Jacobs has given Utah another defensive back to build around, and the three-star recruit from Port Arthur Memorial High School sounds like the kind of addition the Utes like to make. His commitment came after he formed a strong connection with cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah, a relationship that helped put Utah in position as his recruitment narrowed down.
The official visit sealed the deal in a more personal way, with Jacobs seeing the kind of player-coach bond that stands out in Salt Lake City and often matters as much as the depth chart. For Utah, it is another sign the program can still win over prospects who are chasing a path to the NFL, and Jacobs said that is the standard he wants to reach once he gets on campus. [Read more 🡒]
Big 12 Exit Puts Utahs Next Chapter In New Hands
Brett Yormarks decision to step away from the Big 12 gives Utah another reminder that the league the Utes joined is still very much being shaped by forces beyond the field. Since arriving in June 2022, Yormark has been one of the defining figures in the conference, helping steer major media rights moves and pushing the expansion vision that helped set the Big 12s current course.
For Utah, the news matters because the next phase of league business will unfold under different leadership, even as the conference continues to navigate a changing college sports landscape. Yormark will stay on for now, but his planned move to a new role outside of college sports leaves a vacancy at the top and adds another layer of uncertainty to a league that has already seen plenty of transition. [Read more 🡒]