Is Cincinnati a College Football Playoff dark horse? Bearcats look to follow path Arizona State forged in 2024
Last year, the Arizona State was chosen to finish last in the pre-season survey of the Big 12. The Sun Devils amazed university football by overcoming a slow start, developing offensive playmakers out of nowhere to win the Big 12.
Could Cincinnati do the same year later?
The bearcates pulled an stunning start of week 6 of university football, shocking n ° 14 Iowa State 38-30. Cincinnati took an advance from 17-0 to the first quarter and maintained against the cyclones formerly undefeated to put themselves equal for first place in the Big 12 to 2-0 classification.
Cincinnati is 4-1 before manageable matches against the UCF and Oklahoma State in the next two weeks. Bearcates should get the 25 best AP votes and can enter the polls for the first time since the departure of Luke Fickell if they take care of business.
In a big 12 which is wide open for a trip to Arlington, everything remains on the table. The Arizona State has followed a specific model to shock the world of university football; Cincinnati is on the right track to reproduce it.
A star emerges
The quarter of Cincinnati, Brendan Sorsby, set up a good start of the 2024 season. In 2025, he reached another level. The junior quarter of a tenton, in Texas, did everything with his arm and his legs so that the bearcates launch.
The bearcats offensive had difficulties in the first match against Nebraska, so Sorsby ran 96 yards and two scores. In his two other FBS games leading to Iowa State, he launched for 721 yards and five affected with zero interceptions. Against Iowa State, Sorsby did everything, throwing 214 yards, rushing for 65 and marking three affected in total to punctuate the team.
For Arizona State, it is the emergence of the Ballon carrier Cameron Skattebo, which finished n ° 2 in the versatile yards. Sorsby entered the N ° 6 weekend in total offense, and should increase even more after another strong match.
Excel in the trenches
Perhaps the most unexpected part of Arizona State climb last season was its improvement compared to the lines. The Sun Devils were lower along the attack line in 2023, but the stability of the quarterrier and the positions of the ball carrier helped the group to progress towards one of the best in Big 12.
Cincinnati experienced a similar increase. The bearcates added the transfer of a very praised left tackle Joe Cotton during the offseason to reach several players with three years or more experience. Against an Iowa state team who played the race well this year, it helped establish a series of 200 yards on the ground in the first half.
The Dontay Corleone defensive platform was one of the best in the country when it is in good health, but the rest of the unit also rises on the plate. The cyclones were on average less than 4.0 yards per race, and Cincinnati remained on time with Corleone out of the range. It was a slow construction, but it finally begins to bear fruit.
Ride close results
Bearcates have in fact not been as bad as their record in the past two years. After the Nebraska match, they had lost nine of their last 10 games to a score dating from the first season of Scott Satterfield, and historically had trouble managing the end of game situations. Low was a 28-27 defeat against Pittsburgh last season, when they put an advance from 27-6 to the end of the third quarter.
However, the victory against Iowa State marked its second consecutive victory in a score to start Big 12 Play, the first time that Satterfield has accomplished the feat since its care of Cincinnati. The bearcates scored a critical touch in the fourth quarter to put the match out of reach and managed a winner with 29 seconds to play against Kansas.
These are the pieces that Cincinnati did not make bowls each of the last two years. But more importantly, the Arizona State was 6-1 in the matches at a score in 2024. Years ago when the ball bounces right. This seems to be so for bearcates.
Race until arrival
Before the season, the state of Kansas was the co-support of the pre-season to win the Big 12. Wildcats are seated at 2-4 after a brutal defeat against Baylor. Apart from n ° 11 Texas Tech – The prohibitive favorite to win the League – the state of Iowa was considered the main competition. Cincinnati has a victory and a break in equality.
The Red Raiders hold +155 dimensions to win the Big 12. The state of Arizona has an advantage at +500 as a reigning champion. After the victory, Cincinnati is in equality with UTAH at +900 to win the Big 12, according to Fanduel. Byu is close to +950, but no one else is closer to 13 to 1.
Looking at the calendar in advance, there are real reasons of optimism. N ° 23 Byu is the only remaining classified team on the calendar. Baylor and TCU look beepable. Really, the road trip in Utah is the only brutal development to come.
The Big 12 was the most mobile power conference on the country’s most increased last year. So, sitting at 2-0 in conference game: why not Cincinnati?
