Make no mistake, both the Cincinnati Bearcats and Texas Tech Red Raiders have pinpointed this game dating back to Jan. 4, when two-year UC quarterback Brendan Sorsby took a hefty pay raise to play in Lubbock.
At the time, it looked like the "Sorsby Bowl," with the headline-grabbing quarterback returning to Nippert Stadium for Homecoming of all games on Oct. 24.
When interviewed by The Enquirer after UC's basketball appearance at Texas Tech last February, Sorsby was looking forward to "talking trash" but said he had "all love for Cincinnati".
That all came to a sudden halt when gambling activity was confirmed with Sorsby, dating back to his Indiana days and carrying over to his early months at Texas Tech. The NCAA cleared Cincinnati in an investigation, saying the schooln knew of no impermissible gambling during Sorsby's two seasons.
After several court rulings and meetings, Texas Tech decided to rule Sorsby ineligible, and he is now preparing for the NFL Draft. The NFL opted to not have a supplemental draft, cutting Sorsby's options.
Now, back to the (UC Bearcats vs. Texas Tech) game
With or without Sorsby, Texas Tech is loaded and undefeated. Sorsby may have offered up more rushing yards, but new quarterback Will Hammond is 7-2 as a Red Raider starter with six of those wins this season. Texas Tech had seven players on the All-Big 12 Preseason Team, including Defensive Player of the Year AJ Holmes Jr. This past week, kicker Stone Harrington was Special Teams Player of the Week, and the Texas Tech defensive line earned honors for holding Arizona State to just 35 yards on the ground.
The Bearcats like to run, but will have to make plays through the air. JC French IV has yet to throw an interception, but his work will be cut out for him with the Red Raiders.
"It all starts up front with those guys," UC Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield said. "They reloaded again with their D-line. They created pressure, and it helps them in their pass (defense) game. They have 11 interceptions."
How Cincinnati Bearcats have played vs. Texas Tech
James P. Kelly UC Athletic Hall of Famer Greg Cook threw for 3,272 yards in 10 games for the Bearcats in 1968, but they started that season in Lubbock with a 10-10 tie with Texas Tech.
They didn't play again until 2024, when the Bearcats lost a 44-41 shootout despite then-quarterback Brendan Sorsby throwing for 426 yards and four touchdowns.
3 bold predictions for Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders
1. UC Bearcats will have to find creative ways to gain yards
Texas Tech had six sacks and allowed only 35 rushing yards in their last game. They're fifth in the country, allowing just 82 yards rushing on average. Ahead for UC is Utah, allowing 88.7 yards, Houston allowing 82.6 yards, and BYU allowing 86.7 yards.
JC French IV threw for a career-high 389 yards at West Virginia with three touchdowns. He'll likely need to throw for 200 or more in the upcoming games.
2. UC QB JC French IV will make some plays, but will throw his 1st pick
With French having to get more done through the air, logic says an interception will come. Amazingly, it hasn't come yet through six games. At Georgia Southern, he threw eight last year and 11 in 2024. UC's offensive line will have to fend off a hungry Texas Tech defensive line that sacked Arizona State six times last week and may have French on the run.
3. If Texas Tech starts to swing momentum, they won't go conservative
In the Paramount Plus documentary "The Program", Texas Tech billionaire booster and former player Cody Campbell said this of the Big 12:
“Looking back on it, I know that Texas Tech and I handled everything with integrity, and we did things the right way. I think this is something that could have been handled much more privately. We’re not going to forget about that, and I don’t think they’ll forget about it either when we’re up by 40 and still throwing the ball in the fourth quarter. That’s where the retribution will come.”
UC will have a say in this by not letting the game get out of hand. At Nippert, they lost to BYU 26-14 last season in a game where missed opportunities meant missing points. Other than that, the biggest home losses came in 2023 with a 30-10 loss to Iowa State and a 49-16 loss to Kansas. The Bearcats beat No. 14 Iowa State 38-30 last season. This game and the Oct. 31 game vs. Utah offer up a similar opportunity.
"You've got to come back strong and confident in your approach," Satterfield said. "We've got a great opportunity and we're excited about it. It's a great challenge for us. We're playing at Nippert Stadium, Homecoming, what more do you want?"
Time to come home, Bearcats. Happy 100th Homecoming week!🗓️ Saturday Oct. 24🕛 12:00 PM ET📺 FS1 https://t.co/SoeGsxhDau
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) October 19, 2026
What Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said about Cincinnati Bearcats
Does this game have more "juice" given the Sorsby history?
"I think there would be, without a doubt," McGuire said. "What I'm telling our coaches and team is to make it about the football. We have too much in front of us. To focus on anything but the football and going 1-0 no matter who we're playing would start taking away from what we're trying to do."
On UC's rushing game and record at Nippert Stadium
"They're rushing for 231 yards on average," McGuire said. "When you can rush the football for 150 yards-plus, you've got a great advantage of winning that game. They're really good on the offensive line. They had three players on different watch lists. They have a veteran quarterback, a fifth-year guy. He operates their offense with what they want to do. We've got our work cut out for us."
On UC's defensive coordinator Nate Woodyand Texas Tech DC Shiel Wood, who coached with Woody at Armyand Wofford
"Coach Woody is phenomenal at what he does," McGuire said. "They're both very proud of their defense. They're going to go at each other and someone's going to have bragging rights, but they're such good friends. It's going to be fun. You're talking about two of the best defensive coordinators in the country going at each other."
Predictions for Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Yahoo Sports – Texas Tech 36-21
Arizona Central –Texas Tech 31-20
Heartland College Sports – Texas Tech 38-23
Enquirer prediction for Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Texas Tech
In my preseason picks, I had West Virginia as a winnable road game for the Bearcats, which it certainly was. The reasoning was because of the schedule ahead, which looked treacherous.
Texas Tech comes to Nippert at No. 8, then it's No. 10 Utah, then a road game at No. 14 Houston. After a road tilt in Ames against Iowa State and a home game vs. Colorado (which just stayed close with Utah in Boulder), the Bearcats go to BYU Nov. 28 and the Cougars are at No. 2 after knocking off Notre Dame.
UC will need upsets to stay afloat from here. In The Enquirer's preseason picks, I had this as a 38-24 loss. We'll stick with that as it appears the Bearcats can score, but they really haven't had a lockdown defensive performance. They were outstanding vs. the run at West Virginia, but looked like they were standing on pass defense.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bold predictions for Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Texas Tech