Western Carolina Catamounts at Cincinnati Bearcats
Sat Sep 12 · 6:00 PM CT
By Pablo SanchezUpdated 8d ago·2 min read
WCU
CIN
AT
6:00 PM CT
Share
Cincinnati opens its home slate against an FCS opponent that's spent three straight years proving it doesn't play like one.
Bush’s Picks
WCUCIN
WCUCIN
OverUnder
Best BetCincinnati
Cincinnati is the clear class play here as the Big 12 program hosting an FCS opponent, and the moneyline should reflect a heavy favorite. Western Carolina's offensive track record makes this less of a guaranteed laugher than most games in this slot, but the roster and conference gap still points to the Bearcats getting to the finish line.
Western Carolina
+4th straight winning season, 3 straight 7-win years
+Record-setting offense: 4,268 passing yards, 463 points last year
+New DC held an FBS team to just 13 points
−Replacing NCAA-record QB Taron Dickens
−Defense overhauled under first-year coordinator
−First trip to a Big 12 venue since 2005
Cincinnati
+Big 12 roster and depth advantage
+New starter JC French IV brings 5,882 career passing yards
+Home opener at home stadium
−Zero returning skill-position starters
−French described as high-floor, low-ceiling by evaluators
−Slow start adjusting in spring practice
This is only the second all-time meeting between these programs and the first since 2005, and it lands as a classic September tune-up: a Big 12 team hosting an FCS heavyweight before conference play gets serious. Both sidelines walk in break in new starting quarterbacks, which gives this one more intrigue than the usual guarantee-game blowout script.
Cincinnati handed the keys to JC French IV after Brendan Sorsby left for Texas Tech, and French brings real pedigree — 5,882 career passing yards and a 15-11 record as a two-year starter at Georgia Southern. The catch is the Bearcats return zero skill-position starters around him, so the building blocks are as new as the QB. Western Carolina has its own transition at the position, replacing Taron Dickens, who set NCAA records for consecutive completions before transferring to North Carolina.
Show fees
6:00 PM CT
Spread
ML
Total
WCU Western Carolina
CIN Cincinnati
The Catamounts aren't walking in as a token opponent. They've won at least 7 games in each of the last 3 seasons — a program-best streak — and last year's offense set school records with 4,268 passing yards, 5,920 total yards and 463 points. That kind of firepower is why this game carries more juice than a typical Power Conference-versus-FCS opener.
Western Carolina Catamounts
Cincinnati Bearcats
Sep 5?vs Boston College—
Recent form.
Western Carolina is also overhauling its defense under new coordinator Nick Reveiz, who arrives after his Charleston Southern unit ranked 34th nationally in scoring defense and held FBS foe Coastal Carolina to just 13 points. If that defense travels well, it gives the Catamounts a puncher's chance against a Cincinnati offense that's still figuring out its own identity under French.
Western Carolina Catamounts
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Cincinnati Bearcats
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Cincinnati should still have the talent and depth edge that usually decides these matchups, but Western Carolina's track record of overachieving against FBS competition means this isn't a game to sleep on entirely. For the Bearcats, it's step one of proving French can run a Big 12 offense; for the Catamounts, it's a measuring-stick shot before they turn to defending their SoCon standing.
