The grace period is over. Cincinnati is officially out of excuses. After a 5-7 season, the Bearcats are no longer Big 12 newbies and understand the league won’t wait for them. Head coach Scott Satterfield, entering year three, is looking to turn things around with 39 new players—21 transfers and 18 freshmen. The message is clear: finish games strong, win in November, and show they belong. Their journey begins under the lights at Arrowhead Stadium against Nebraska, and the tone at camp suggests they’re ready to fight. This team believes it’s ready to punch back, not play catch-up.

Nebraska’s got the history, sure, but let’s face it, those glory days are over. They had that amazing 29-game opening streak from ‘86 to 2014, but they’re only 4-5 since. And whenever they start on the road or play a Power Five team? Loss. Remember that Illinois game in 2021? Or Northwestern in 2022? Those coaching debuts—Frost at Colorado, Rhule at Minnesota—were epic fails for Nebraska. Meanwhile, Scott Satterfield’s squad actually won their opener against Towson last year.

Now, Cincinnati’s coming into the Kansas City Classic hungry for an early impact. That’s right, Scott Satterfield is already doubling down on his team’s ability. “I mean, it is our first game. And you’re certainly going to be ready to go in the first game. But you have to have a little sense of urgency, no question, when you’re playing a team like Nebraska coming off one of the best seasons they’ve had in probably a decade. They’re good coaches there; they have really good players. They went out and got some more good players. So it’s going to be a great test for us,” Satterfield said during media interaction after Day 5 of fall camp.

That makes sense. Nebraska qualified for bowls last season for the first time since 2016, and it’s a team ready for a title run this year. But let’s just not count Scott Satterfield’s team out of the race yet. As Bearcats QB Brendan Sorsby quietly put up one of the most underrated seasons in 2024. He was one of just three FBS quarterbacks to pass for over 2,500 yards and 15 touchdowns, ultimately throwing for 18 scores, rushing for 9, and racking up over 2,800 passing yards with a 64% completion rate. Couple that with 447 rushing yards, a 426-yard destruction of Texas Tech, and a 143-yard rushing performance against Iowa State, and Sorsby has proven he can dismantle defenses with both his arm and legs.

Now, with Corey Kiner and Tawee Walker forming a legitimate thunder-and-lightning duo in the backfield, and Walker bringing a Big Ten toughness Cincinnati has been lacking after running all over Nebraska last year while at Wisconsin, the possibilities are endless. If those two start dominating early in the Kansas City Classic, it opens everything up. And with deep threats on the outside plus veteran Gavin Gerhardt anchoring the offensive line, the Bearcats are ready to strike quickly and decisively. This offense is primed and ready to throw the first punch.

So, now you know why Scott Satterfield sounds confident. But he’s not the only one rooting for their team’s success this year.

Scott Satterfield’s star QB is ready for a turnaround

Just a few weeks left until the season kicks off, and Scott Satterfield’s team is already under immense pressure. As Bill Connelly of ESPN has released his SP+ rankings for the 2025 Big 12 season, Cincinnati Bearcats fans won’t like it, as their team is right at the last. The worst part? Bearcats are the only Big 12 team with a negative SP+ score (-0.3), though they’re still 66th nationally. The projections show them at 86th for offense and 88th for defense, and even with the 49th-best special teams, it might not be enough in this tough conference.

Interestingly, the difference between 8th and 16th in the Big 12 is just 3.3 points, so every close game matters. But let’s not forget that Arizona State was in 16th position last year, yet they won the championship game. If Cincinnati wants to make waves, they’ll need to perform in critical situations—and quickly. And even Brendan Sorsby is doubling down on the same approach. “Yeah, I mean, 100%. I think every team in the Big 12 is thinking that it could be them, you know, this year after what Arizona State did last year,” he said during the media interaction.

And to make things better for them, Sorsby is already grinding with his teammates to build that chemistry. He’s been spending late nights texting teammates, studying film, and ensuring everyone is on the same page. Texas A&M transfer Cyrus Allen has quickly become a standout, burning defensive backs with deep passes from Sorsby in team drills and 7-on-7s. But he’s not the only one—Jeff Caldwell, Caleb Goodie, Noah Jennings, Jamoi Mayes, and Xzavier Henderson are also competing for targets.

That receivers group is already giving him the confidence, and it looks like this season might turn out differently for Scott Satterfield’s team. “I like this group of guys that we have. I feel confident in us, but, you know, we’ll see what happens, I think, like I just said, every team in the Big 12 thinks they’ve got a chance to be in Dallas at the end of the year, and we’re one of those teams as well,” said Brendan Sorsby.