No. 17 Cincinnati is Big 12’s surprise team and going for 8th win in a row

By Canadian Press on October 30, 2025.

Things to watch this week in the Big 12 Conference:

Game of the week

No. 17 Cincinnati (7-1, 5-0 Big 12) at No. 24 Utah (6-2, 3-2), Saturday, 10:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)

The Bearcats have been the Big 12’s surprise team in coach Scott Satterfield’s third season, also their third in the league. With quarterback Brendan Sorsby, they are scoring 38.3 points a game and rank fourth nationally gaining 7.36 yards per play. They have their first seven-game winning streak that is their longest since 13 in a row in 2021 when they became they made the four-team College Football Playoff.

This will be the first meeting between Cincinnati and Utah, whose only losses this season are to No. 10 BYU and No. 13 Texas Tech. The Utes are second in the league in total offense (476.9 yards per game) and total defense (285.4 ypg). They are coming off a 53-7 win over Colorado, a game they led 43-0 at halftime when the Buffaloes had minus-18 total yards. Utah had a season-high 422 yards rushing.

The undercard

No. 13 Texas Tech (7-1, 4-1) at Kansas State (4-4, 3-2), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (Fox)

Kansas State has won three of its last four games, averaging 38 points in that span that followed a 1-3 start. The Wildcats have also won the last eight games in the series. The Red Raiders are looking for their best nine-game start to a season since 2008, which is also the last time they won in Manhattan. Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton is expected to play after missing the last two games because of a right leg injury.

Impact players

Conner Weigman has thrown for 671 yards with six TDs and no interceptions in a three-game winning streak for No. 22 Houston. The quarterback also ran for 209 yards and three TDs the past two games.

Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson has multiple TD passes in his past four games, and in 17 of his 22 career starts. His 45 career TD passes are just three shy of Will Howard’s school record set from 2020-23.

Inside the numbers

The Big 12 has five ranked teams for the first time this season: No. 10 BYU, No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 17 Cincinnati, No. 22 Houston and No. 24 Utah. … Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson dropped to second nationally at 314.1 yards passing per game after only 137 yards in a loss last week at Cincinnati. … Six Big 12 teams are already bowl eligible with six wins. Arizona State and Iowa State, both 5-3, play each other Saturday. … Oklahoma State has lost 15 games in a row against conference opponents, a streak that began with their loss to Texas in the Big 12 championship game two seasons ago. … Transfer kicker Laith Marjan has made all 11 of his field goal attempts for Kansas, matching the school record of consecutive makes that dates back to 1984. Marjan also made his last 11 attempts for South Alabama last season.

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Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press