Big 12 media days in Frisco, Texas, are just ahead, which means it’s ranking season for college football media ahead of the fall.
On3’s Brett McMurphy recently posted his Big 12 head coach rankings, placing Cincinnati Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield 11th in the conference out of 16. McMurphy wrote:
“Scott Satterfield enters his fourth season at Cincinnati, looking to continue his upward trajectory. In each of Satterfield’s three seasons, the Bearcats have improved their overall and Big 12 records: 3-9 (1-8 in Big 12 play) in his debut season in 2023, 5-7 (3-6 in Big 12 play) in 2024, and 7-6 (5-4 in Big 12 play) last season. In the last seven years combined at Louisville and Cincinnati, Satterfield is 40-46, compared to 47-16 in five seasons at Appalachian State.”
Cincinnati Bearcats football Big 12 ranking
ESPN has the Bearcats at 5.9 overall wins by their computations, with 3.5 in the Big 12, which would put them 13th of 16. Bill Connelly writes:
“Transition and slight improvement, rinse and repeat. It’s the story of Satterfield’s Cincinnati tenure. He set the bar nice and low out of the gate (3-9 and 87th in SP+ in 2023), and his Bearcats improved to 5-7 (72nd) and 7-6 (56th) in the years that followed. But it’s hard to tell if he’s actually gaining traction or not. His 2026 team will feature new coordinators, a new quarterback, a new skill corps, a mostly new defensive line and a new secondary. He did a solid job in the portal and might have just the guys to engineer another round of slight improvement, but it’s fair to wonder what the ceiling is here.”
The Big Lead also ranks UC at No. 13:
“Losing quarterback Brendan Sorsby to the transfer portal stung, but it looks cleaner now, given his gambling-related issues at Texas Tech. Georgia Southern transfer quarterback JC French IV took firm hold of the starting job this spring, posting strong accuracy numbers and connecting with a deep receiver group that includes standout Malachi Henry.”
Athlon Sports also chimes in with a No. 13 ranking for the Bearcats:
“Although the winning record and bowl trip cooled the pressure a bit on coach Scott Satterfield, a slow start to ‘26 could raise plenty of question marks about the program’s overall direction again. Just four starters are back, but three of those – Joe Cotton, Evan Tengesdahl and Taran Tyo – form the foundation of one of the Big 12’s top offensive lines.”
Phil Steele’s College Football 2026 digital magazine is out and is a bit more bullish with UC in a five-way tie for seventh in the Big 12 with UCF, Kansas State, Arizona State and West Virginia.
Steele rated UC one of his most improved teams in 2024 and they started 5-2 before dropping five straight. He says last year was Satterfield’s best team, but they lost five straight again after starting 7-1, when you include the depleted AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Steele says the 2026 team has the toughest schedule in the Big 12, but also has a top-notch offensive line and running backs.
He ranks the Bearcats ahead of Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Colorado and Iowa State, but of that group, UC only plays the Cyclones and Buffaloes late in November.
Cincinnati Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield responds to preseason rankings
“We finished 5-4 in the league last year and we got picked toward the bottom,” Satterfield told The Enquirer in early June. “It’s just talk. Everybody has at least 50 new players when you think about transfers and freshmen. There’s no way to know where everybody’s going to be. So much of it is who you brought in, how do they fit into your team, and what’s the chemistry going to be like?”
The upside to the projected tough Big 12 schedule is UC doesn’t leave Cincinnati until their Oct. 3 game at Arizona. The Bearcats are in Nippert Sept. 5 for Boston College at 3:30, have a “Nipp at Night” game at 7 on Sept. 12 with Western Carolina, then head to TQL Stadium Sept. 19 for the “Battle of the Victory Bell” with the Miami RedHawks in another 3:30 kickoff.
The Big 12 opener is against Kansas State Sept. 26, back at Nippert Stadium at a time not yet announced. Phil Steele’s publication has the Wildcats in that five-way tie with the Bearcats, while ESPN projects them fourth in the league with 5.5 conference wins and a projected 8.2 overall.
Whether it’s parity or disparity in the Big 12 won’t be known until fall, but the preseason predictions will continue at a 100% rate, rain or shine.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Where Scott Satterfield, UC Bearcats stand in Big 12 football rankings
Reporting by Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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By Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
