The new-look Big 12 has and will continue to provide Colorado with a mix of familiar and new road trips.

Over the course of the Buffaloes’ first two seasons back in the conference, road games against fellow Pac-12 defectors felt normal, while trips to places like Lubbock, Texas and Manhattan, Kan., for the first time in over a decade were a nice reminder of a simpler time in college football.

There will be some of that this fall when CU visits Baylor and Oklahoma State.

But there was also a first-ever trip to Orlando to face Central Florida back in 2024 and now, the Buffs will close the 2026 road schedule in Cincinnati, still relatively new to the Big 12 in its own right.

The two programs met in Boulder in October 2024 with Deion Sanders’ team winning 34-23. The Nov. 21 game at Nippert Stadium will be the third all-time between the Buffs and Bearcats with both teams hoping to have already secured a bowl berth or still in contention to do so.

Let’s take a look at this year’s Cincinnati team:

Offseason storylines

The words “former Cincinnati quarterback” have never appeared in more headlines than they did this offseason.

For much of the Brendan Sorsby saga, the Bearcats were simply viewed as the team he left to join Texas Tech for loads of NIL money, after which an investigation into his bets made over the last few years became public. 

Many of those bets came during his two years at Cincinnati, although the bets placed on his own team came while Sorsby was at Indiana, so all of the ire from the rest of the college football world was directed toward the Red Raiders and their backing of Sorsby’s attempt to play this season.

Now, however, the NCAA has reportedly sent a letter of inquiry to Cincinnati to uncover more about Sorsby’s gambling habits during his time with the school and what it knew about.

That hasn’t had much of an effect on how the current team is viewed, though, with the Bearcats looking to continue an upward trajectory in the Scott Satterfield era — going from three wins to five to seven from 2023-25 — with a mostly new-look roster after the program saw important contributors aside from Sorsby depart in the transfer portal.

On offense

Outside of Texas Tech and BYU, the top two teams in the Big 12 heading into the fall, there might not be another team in the conference whose offense is built around the brute force up front of the offensive line.

Cincinnati’s Joe Cotton and Evan Tendesdahl were both featured on the preseason All-Big 12 team and combined with Taran Tyo, they form a trio that is as good as any in the conference.

That sets a certain floor for Satterfield’s offense, which has long used zone-run concepts and RPOs (run-pass options) featuring a mobile quarterback to effect at both Appalachian State and Louisville before he came to Cincinnati.

The Bearcats are turning to veteran JC French IV in the wake of Sorsby’s departure with the Georgia Southern transfer owning multiple years of starting experience and nearly 5,700 passing yards and 35 total touchdowns over the past two seasons.

There is excitement about what French can do in charge of the offense with freshman running back Zion Johnson expected to feature heavily and a new-look group of pass catchers out wide, most notably Kent State transfer Cade Wolford, who was one of the best young wide receivers in the MAC last season.

On defense

There was not just an offensive coordinator change at Cincy this offseason with Pete Thomas (quarterbacks coach) and Nic Cardwell (offensive line coach) both getting promoted to be co-coordinators after Brad Glenn left the team, but Satterfield also had to bring in a new face to run the defense after Tyson Veidt reunited with Matt Campbell at Penn State.

Nate Woody comes in after spending six seasons at Army, where his 3-4 defensive scheme helped the Black Knights to three seasons with nine or wins, including a 12-2 record in 2024.

Woody was Satterfield’s defensive coordinator for multiple seasons at Appalachian State before leaving for Georgia Tech in 2018, which was previously his only other stint as a coordinator in a Power conference.

Do-it-all linebacker Jake Goladay is off to the NFL, but Jonathan Thompson is back and gives Woody a player to build around in the middle, while defensive back Antwan Peek Jr. and defensive end Marquaze Parker also return and should play big roles.

The rest of the defense will be reliant on multiple players making a jump up from lower levels, primarily the MAC. 

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The Cincinnati Bearcats file

2025 record: 7-6 (5-4 Big 12)

Head coach: Scott Satterfield (4th season, 15-22 record)

Co-offensive coordinators: Pete Thomas (1st season) and Nic Cardwell (1st season)

Defensive coordinator: Nate Woody (1st season)

Key returners: RB Zion Johnson, WR Isaiah Johnson, OL Joe Cotton, OL Evan Tengesdahl, OL Taran Tyo, DE Marquaze Parker, LB Jonathan Thompson, DB Antwan Peek Jr.

Key newcomers: QB JC French IV, WR Cade Wolford, DT Chidera Otutu, DB MJ Cannon, DB Jacob Finley