Cincinnati — Big 12
PPA off / def
0.30 / 0.19
2025
Class rank
#58
class of 2026
Returning PPA
8%
returning production
| 2019 |
OSU W 42–0 | Columbus |
| 2014 |
OSU W 50–28 | Columbus |
| 2006 |
OSU W 37–7 | Columbus |
| 2004 |
OSU W 27–6 | Columbus |
| 2002 |
OSU W 23–19 | away |
| 1999 |
OSU W 34–20 | Columbus |
| 1931 |
OSU W 67–6 | Columbus |
| 1919 |
OSU W 46–0 | Columbus |
2026 schedule
2025 results (7–6)
Statistical comps — 2025 Cincinnati's closest analogs
Nearest neighbors by z-scored success rate, explosiveness, run rate & havoc (offense + defense), 2015–25.
2025 leaders
Transfer portal — 2026 (22 in / 23 out)
Origins
Sid Gillman coached here before inventing the modern passing game professionally. Fickell's 2021 team went 13-0 and became the first program outside the power conferences to reach the College Football Playoff.
Founded 1819 · Founded as a municipal college by the city itself · first football 1885 · defined by Luke Fickell
All-time record
All-time
436–450–15
1893–2025
Win %
49.2%
113 seasons played
Winning seasons
45
40% of seasons
By level: FBS 421–416–13 (1893–2025) · D-III 1–12 (1915–1924) · ii/iii 4–11–1 (1930–1940) · FCS 10–11–1 (1982–1983)
| Best seasons | W | L | Conference |
|---|
| 2021 | 13 | 1 | American Athletic |
| 2009 | 12 | 1 | Big East |
| 2018 | 11 | 2 | American Athletic |
| 2019 | 11 | 3 | American Athletic |
| 2008 | 11 | 3 | Big East |
Season records from CollegeFootballData, which is why the span starts at 1893 — that is where its coverage of this program begins, not necessarily the first year it fielded a team.
Play-calling tendencies (2025 · garbage time excluded)
| Situation | Plays | Run % | Success % | Nat'l | Avg yds | Expl % |
|---|
| 1st down | 331 | 57% |
50% | 4 of 136 | 7.3 | 18% |
| 2nd down | 223 | 44% |
44% | 40 of 136 | 7.0 | 13% |
| 3rd & short (≤3) | 32 | 59% |
72% | — | 5.8 | 6% |
| 3rd & medium (4–7) | 42 | 36% |
36% | — | 4.8 | 5% |
| 3rd & long (8+) | 55 | 29% |
25% | — | 8.1 | 18% |
| 4th down | 24 | 54% |
75% | — | 5.8 | 13% |
141 drives · 40% ended in points · 6.8 plays and 43.1 yards per drive · 1.69 PPA per drive
Success: 50% of yardage needed on 1st, 70% on 2nd, 100% on 3rd/4th. Explosive: 12+ yd rush / 16+ yd pass. National rank is shown only for 1st and 2nd down, where every team has 100+ plays; the later buckets average 18-43 and a rank there would be noise.
League leaderboard →Most valuable plays (by PPA, 2025)
| Wk | Opp | Play | Yds | PPA |
|---|
| 6 | Iowa State |
Brendan Sorsby pass complete to Caleb Goodie for 82 yds for a TD (Stephen Rusnak KICK) |
82 | 7.18 |
| 10 | Utah |
(10:47) No Huddle-Shotgun #2 B.Sorsby pass complete deep left to #4 C.Allen caught at Cin3… |
88 | 7.11 |
| 2 | Bowling Green |
Brendan Sorsby pass complete to Joe Royer for 73 yds to the BGSU 18 for a 1ST down |
73 | 4.63 |
| 3 | Northwestern State |
Samaj Jones pass complete to Isaiah Johnson for 42 yds for a TD (Dino Beslagic KICK) |
42 | 4.44 |
| 8 | Oklahoma State |
Brendan Sorsby pass complete to Jeff Caldwell for 38 yds to the OKST 29 for a 1ST down |
38 | 4.35 |
| 3 | Northwestern State |
Brendan Sorsby pass complete to Caleb Goodie for 55 yds for a TD (Stephen Rusnak KICK) |
55 | 4.28 |
| 7 | UCF |
Brendan Sorsby pass complete to Jeff Caldwell for 40 yds for a TD (Stephen Rusnak KICK) |
40 | 4.28 |
| 10 | Utah |
End of 4th quarter. |
38 | 3.95 |