The BYU Cougars are a very good football team. They've reached the 9-1 mark for the second straight season, and in just their third year as a member of a Power Four conference, BYU football is likely the most frightening non-Texas Tech (shudders) team in the Big 12 Conference. I know it's a cliché, but at this point of the season, Kalani Sitake's team controls its own destiny with just two games remaining on the schedule.
This means one simple truth for the Cougars as they lock onto a potential rematch with the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Big 12 Conference championship game: this upcoming game with Cincinnati is the most important game on the schedule, and is absolutely a must-win scenario for the team's hopes of competing in the College Football Playoff and competing for a national championship.
Reaching the playoff is the goal, but without at the very least an appearance in the league's championship bout in Arlington, the chances of competing for glory atrophy drastically.
The Cincinnati Bearcats are coming off a shocking home loss against Arizona. Cincy now has two losses, each to teams the Cougars already bested along the way (Utah and Arizona), but will host the 9-1 Cougs in an Ohioan death match.
I cannot overstate the importance of BYU finishing this weekend's battle with a 10-1 record, nor can I overstate the amount of focus this matchup demands after the returning-to-form blowout given to TCU in LaVell Edwards Stadium.
For conference standing implications, for College Football Playoff implications, and for the entire season to this point, BYU must win this weekend against Cincinnati. A loss could be the end of BYU's at-large hopes, and plummets the Big 12 Conference into another nightmare tiebreaker scenario in which Utah may sneak past the Cougars into Arlington in spite of the head-to-head result.
Big Noon Kickoff will be featuring this game on Saturday morning for this very reason.
In such a meaningful game, of course you'll be tuning in.
How can I watch BYU vs Cincinnati?
Date: Saturday, November 22, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM MT
Location: Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Channel: FOX
Odds: BYU -2.5