CINCINNATI — In just a few days, Cincinnati will begin another football season with something it hasn't had in quite some time.
Expectation. Not championship expectation. Not College Football Playoff expectation. But genuine optimism that the Bearcats are finally beginning to turn the corner.
After several seasons of rebuilding, roster turnover and learning life in the Big 12, Cincinnati appears to have assembled its deepest and most balanced roster since joining the conference. Now comes the difficult part.
Proving it.
With that in mind, here are my three predictions for the 2026 Cincinnati Bearcats.
1. The Bearcats Finish Ranked
No, I don't believe Cincinnati is ready to compete for a national championship. I do, however, believe this football team is capable of finishing the season in the Top 25.
The Bearcats finally have what every successful football program needs—continuity.
The roster is older. The depth is better. The coaching staff has had time to build the program in its own image instead of trying to patch holes every offseason.
That doesn't guarantee victories. But it does create consistency, and consistency wins football games.
I believe Cincinnati will finish with at least nine victories and earn a spot in the final AP Top 25.
2. Cincinnati Will Be One of the Big 12's Best Defensive Teams
Every good Cincinnati football team has had one thing in common.
Defense.
The Bearcats have built their identity around physical football for years, and I think this season will be no different.
While much of the attention will understandably be focused on the offense, I believe the defense will quietly become the team's biggest strength. Particularly early in the season, it should carry Cincinnati until the offense finds its footing under a new quarterback.
There will be games where that unit keeps Cincinnati in contests it probably shouldn't win. There will be games where it simply takes over.
Bonus Prediction: Cincinnati finishes the season among the Top 25 nationally in total defense.
3. Nippert Stadium Will Feel Like Nippert Stadium Again
Some predictions aren't about statistics. They're about feeling.
For the first time in several years, I think Bearcat fans are going to fall back in love with Saturdays at Nippert.
Winning does that. Believing does that. College football is simply different when Nippert Stadium is full, loud and expecting to win.
Will Cincinnati challenge for the Big 12 Championship? Probably not. At least not yet. But I do think this program will take a significant step toward becoming the program Bearcat fans expect it to be.
And by the end of November, I believe the conversation surrounding Cincinnati football will shift from "How long will this rebuild take?" to "How much higher can this program climb?"
That's a pretty good place to be. If it isn't, you'll probably be reading a column from me putting Scott Satterfield squarely on the hot seat—and that's not a good place to be at all. So let's hope for the former. And I believe that's exactly what we'll get.