BYU Cougars at Cincinnati Bearcats Picks and Prediction for Saturday, November 22, 2025
We have an exciting Big 12 Conference game for Week 13 of the college football season as the 11th-ranked BYU Cougars will be heading to Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday night to face off against the Cincinnati Bearcats in this BYU vs. Cincinnati prediction. The game is airing on FOX and these teams are both playing at a great level this season. The Cougars (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) are coming off a 44-13 home win over the TCU Horned Frogs on Nov. 15. The Bearcats (7-3, 5-2) are on a two-game losing streak as they are coming off Saturday’s 30-24 home loss against the Arizona Wildcats. Before kickoff: NCAAF predictions for BYU Cougars at the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Cougars Looking for CFP Berth
The 11th-ranked BYU Cougars have been dominating this season and they are coming off a 44-13 home win over the TCU Horned Frogs last time out. The Cougars clicked offensively as the team scored 44 points on 447 total yards of offense (296 passing, 151 rushing). Freshman Quarterback Bear Bachmeier threw the football well as he completed 23-of-33 passes for 296 yards with a passing touchdown as well as 10 rushes for 59 yards (5.9 yards per carry) with one rushing touchdown. The offense went 6-for-12 on third downs and 2-for-3 on fourth downs throughout the game to move the ball. The Cougars were able to maintain possession at an incredible level as they had the football for 36:05.
The defense was able to step up to get going as the Cougars allowed the Horned Frogs to score 13 points on 298 total yards (183 passing, 115 rushing). The defense dominated to get off the field as they were 1-for-10 on third downs and 1-for-2 on fourth downs throughout the game. BYU forced a pair of interceptions to win the turnover battle and limited TCU to 15 total first downs.
Bachmeier is completing 63.2% of his passes for 2,177 yards with 13 touchdown passes and four picks this season. RB LJ Martin leads the running attack with 163 carries for 912 yards (5.6 ypc) and six TDs. BYU has been on fire offensively as they are tied for 27th in the NCAA with 33.7 points per game. Their defense is allowing 17.8 points per game, which places them tied for 13th place throughout college football. They also allow 321.2 yards per game to rank 23rd and they are doing an incredible job at limiting the passing attack as they are 13th in college football with a 56.3 opposing completion percentage entering Week 13.
Injury Report for BYU
- Running back Sione Moa: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Wide receiver Cody Hagen: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Safety Matthias Leach: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Safety Tommy Prassas: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Cornerback Marcus McKenzie: Undisclosed (Questionable)
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Bearcats Looking to Get Back to Being Ranked
The Cincinnati Bearcats are looking to get back on track after last week’s 30-24 home loss against the Arizona Wildcats. Their offense did a respectable job as they recorded 24 points on 344 total yards of offense (154 passing, 190 rushing) while recording only 14 total first downs. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby finished the game by completing 15-of-28 passes for 154 yards with one passing touchdown while also throwing two interceptions and running the ball nine times for 30 yards (3.3 yards per carry) with a rushing touchdown as well. The team turned the football over twice with a pair of interceptions. They moved the ball at a good level throughout the game as well as they averaged 5.5 yards per pass attempt and 6.6 yards per rushing attempt.
The defense allowed 30 points on 475 total yards (294 passing, 181 rushing) and the team was 8-for-16 on third downs and 1-for-1 against them. The defense failed to record any takeaways and the Wildcats were able to record 9.5 yards per pass as well as 4.3 yards per rushing attempt. With the defense struggling as they allowed 20 points in the second half, Cincinnati needs to figure out how to be better on this side of the field.
Brendan Sorsby is expected to be the starting quarterback as he is completing 60.0% of his passes for 2,218 yards with 22 TDs and four picks this season. RB Tawee Walker is leading the running group as he has 109 carries for 652 yards (6.0 ypc) and four touchdowns. Cincinnati has been able to score at an amazing level as they are 23rd in the NCAA with 34.4 points per game. Their defense is allowing 22.7 points per game, which places them 51st in college football. They also allow 390.5 yards per game to rank 124th and they are giving up 5.5 yards per play (65th) up to this point.
Injury Report for Cincinnati
- Wide receiver Caleb Goodie: Undisclosed (Questionable)
- Running back Evan Pryor: Undisclosed (Questionable)
BYU Cougars at Cincinnati Bearcats Pick
Spread Pick for BYU Cougars at Cincinnati Bearcats
- BYU Cougars -135 (5 units)
The defensive numbers for these teams show a significant gap and that is going to be difficult to overcome. The Cougars can run the football at a great level as they are a few ticks from averaging 200.0 yards on the ground per game. Bachmeier is playing at a good level, and there is a reason they are in the conversation for the Big 12 Championship, while Cincinnati needs a lot to swing their way to get to that point. BYU is 3-0 ATS all-time against Cincinnati, so go with the BYU Cougars to cover the spread here.
Over/Under Pick for BYU Cougars at Cincinnati Bearcats
- OVER 54.5 (4 units)
These teams are moving the ball at an incredible level throughout the season as BYU is 36th in the country with 6.2 yards per play, while Cincinnati is seventh in college football with an incredible 7.2 yards per play thus far. Neither team is going to be allowing many sacks throughout the game, as the Bearcats have allowed just three sacks heading into this game, while the Cougars have given up 10 sacks right now. That means there will not be many negative plays and these quarterbacks are two of the top passers in college football as well. All in all, go with OVER 54.5 POINTS to hit in this game as the better bet for this matchup.
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