Cincinnati Bearcats

Cincinnati is No. 68 of 138 in the model after week 6 (4-1, 1-1 in conference play). Its projected final record is 6.2-5.8, with a <1% chance to win out and a <1% chance to make the playoff.

Updated · See Cincinnati in the full rankings

2026 at a glance

  • #68in the model (▼2 from last week)
  • 6.2-5.8projected final record
  • −0.4points vs. an average FBS team, neutral field
  • <1%chance to make the playoff

Scouting report: Cincinnati's best unit is its rush offense (No. 34 in FBS); its weakest is its run defense (No. 125). Overall, the offense ranks No. 35 and the defense No. 99, adjusted for opponents. These ranks rest on 5 games, so expect them to move week to week.

Résumé: No. 36, by wins above what a typical top-25 team would expect against Cincinnati's schedule. That measures what the record is worth; the power rank (No. 68) measures how good the team is.

Deserved wins: playing the way it has, Cincinnati would usually have won 3.5 games; it has won 4.

Postseason odds: <1% to win the Big 12, <1% to make the 12-team playoff, 0% to earn a first-round bye and 0% to win the national title. 70% to reach 6 wins. (Model estimates; how the playoff odds work.)

Rank by week: Wk 1: 55 → Wk 2: 52 → Wk 3: 53 → Wk 4: 47 → Wk 5: 66 → Wk 6: 68
Week 1: No. 55Week 2: No. 52Week 3: No. 53Week 4: No. 47Week 5: No. 66Week 6: No. 68

Rankings for weeks 1-6 were rebuilt after launch from games through each week; later weeks are published live.

Season stats

  • 33.8points per game
  • 23.2points allowed per game
  • 46%offensive success rate
  • 45%success rate allowed

Success rate: share of plays that keep an offense on schedule (half the yards needed on first down, 70% on second, all of it on third or fourth). Garbage time excluded.

Leaders

  • Passing: JC French, 949 yards, 6 TD, 0 INT
  • Rushing: Gi'Bran Payne, 392 yards on 62 carries, 2 TD
  • Receiving: JaVonnie Gibson, 18 catches, 267 yards, 3 TD

Schedule and win odds

WeekOpponentResult or win chancePlayed like
1vs Boston CollegeW 34-1599% win
2vs Western CarolinaW 62-10>99% win
3vs Miami (OH)W 35-3160% win
4vs Kansas StateW 31-2694% win
5at No. 20 ArizonaL 7-341% win
7at West Virginia49% to win
8vs No. 11 Texas Tech22% to win
9vs No. 9 Utah20% to win
10at No. 15 Houston16% to win
11at Iowa State35% to win
12vs Colorado64% to win
13at No. 14 BYU16% to win

Win chances come from the model's current ratings, including home field. Played like: how often a team wins a game it played the way it played this one, based on the box score. Rankings shown are the model's.

Big 12 in the model

#TeamRecordConf.Projected
9Utah5-02-010.1-1.9
11Texas Tech5-02-010.3-1.7
14BYU5-03-09.5-2.5
15Houston5-12-19.2-2.8
20Arizona5-12-18.7-3.3
30Baylor4-12-07.6-4.4
45Oklahoma State4-12-07.6-4.4
46TCU2-30-25.1-6.9
47UCF3-31-26.2-5.8
54Iowa State3-31-25.8-6.2
56Kansas State3-20-26.4-5.6
61Kansas2-30-24.8-7.2
81West Virginia3-30-34.6-7.4
85Colorado2-30-24.2-7.8
90Arizona State3-21-14.9-7.1

This week's picks and rankings

Every week's top 25, game of the week and picks are in the weekly breakdown. Latest: Week 7 college football picks and power rankings: the model's case for LSU.

How the model works: each team starts from a preseason rating (last season, returning production, roster talent), and every game moves it using the final margin and play-by-play efficiency, adjusted for opponents. Projections simulate the rest of the season 10,000 times. More on the method. Data from CollegeFootballData.com.