Utah 49-25 Cincinnati (Oct 31, 2026) Final Score

Team pages: Utah · Cincinnati

No. 6 Utah8-049

Cincinnati5-325Final

Sat, Oct 31 · Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio · Crowd 36,487

No. 6 Utah beat Cincinnati 49-25.

We had Utah favored. It won.

Next: Utah vs BYU, Sat Nov 7 · 12:00 PM ET · Utah favored by 5.5

Next: Cincinnati at Houston, Sat Nov 7 · 3:30 PM ET · Cincinnati underdog by 11.5

This one’s for Pat. #patstrong

A Utah fan

How it swung

Before kickoff, our ratings gave Utah a 76% chance, and the closing betting line (Utah was a 7-point favorite) put it at 71%.

Favored the whole way: Utah never fell below 58%.

Cincinnati never had better than a 41% chance.

Fumble return TD

Utah · Q2 13:43Pick-six

Utah · Q2 0:34Pick-six

Cincinnati · Q3 6:24

FinalUtah 49-25 CincinnatiUtah wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.

No single play moved the chance by 20 points.

Thank god we don’t have to have all the streak comments anymore

Q2 0:45 · A Utah fan · r/CFB game thread

What fans said, play by play

The line in bold above each quote is written by our model from the thread’s comments and the play-by-play.

Q1 0:14Utah fans celebrate Wayshawn Parker's touchdown run as Cincinnati fans concede the gameAre boys are showing up today!!! Also that had to be a 1st down no? W Wayshawn.r/CFB game threadWayshawn!!!r/CFB game thread
Q2 13:43Officials overturn fumble call on Tabb run, ruling him downCan we take a moment to appreciate the speed of that review?r/CFB game thread
Q2 7:14Utah fans celebrate Bray's touchdown run as Cincinnati's defense collapses"UtAh HaS OnLy BeAT oNe TeAm WiTh a WinNinG RecOrD" ...and they took that personally.r/CFB game threadSo glad we didn't overlook this team. Hoping we have a strong 3rd quarter.r/CFB game thread
Q2 0:45Utah intercepts French for a touchdown, extending their pick-six streak to 23 seasonsSACK LAKE CITY AND A PICK SIX? IS THIS HEAVENr/CFB game thread

Utah’s chance to win after every play.

How to read this chart

Starts from the pregame line (Utah -7), at 59% for Utah (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. Outlined diamonds mark rare plays. Under the scores, r/CFB comments per minute from fans with a Cincinnati or Utah flair (210 and 1,804); both sides share one scale, regulation only.

Watch the plays

The bar and the arrow show Utah’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.

Every drive

Utah scored on 5 of its 11 drives; Cincinnati on 4 of its 13.

Utah’s drives are teal, Cincinnati’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.

When fans got loud

Busy

Fans were loudest in the second quarter.

Jump to the loudest stretch

The jump was busy; the crowd was busy.

Two crowds, one game

The words each side’s fans used far more than the other side, from the game thread.

Cincinnati fans

satterfield“How bad of an asskicking is enough to realistic get Satterfield in trouble? 70?”

fire“Utah - all I can say is thank you. Fire Satt is back in full effect and we still got to tank Tech’s year. Happy Halloween everyone!”

basketball“We’re on to basketball, and I guess the bengals (I don’t fully trust the bengals still)”

program“Because our head coach hates football. He has no interest in winning games. Anything good that happens with this program is just a freak accident.”

Both sets of fans kept coming back to: half, let, god, getting.

What it cost

Utah’s chance to make the playoff rose from 36% to 42%.

Make the playoff

Utah · won36% → ▲42%

Cincinnati · lost0% → 0%

Win the conference

Utah · won30% → ▲35%

Cincinnati · lost0% → 0%

Before the game (October 30, 2026) → after this result alone, in our model. Other games that weekend move it too, so the team page may differ.

Utah plays vs BYU on Sat Nov 7 with a 42% chance to make the playoff.

Box score

Utah 49, Cincinnati 25

Utah covered −7 by 17. The total, 74, went over 56.5.

Team totals	Utah	Cincinnati
Total yards	534	456
Passing	23 of 31, 266 yds	16 of 30, 263 yds
Rushing	42 for 268 yds	32 for 193 yds
First downs	27	18
Third down	7 of 11	3 of 11
Fourth down	0 of 2	0 of 2
Turnovers	2	2
Penalties	3 for 25 yds	6 for 42 yds
Time of possession	35:30	24:30

Utah leaders

Passing Devon Dampier 22 of 29, 260 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Wayshawn Parker 7 for 82 yds, 1 TD; Daniel Bray 8 for 75 yds, 1 TD
Receiving Hunter Andrews 5 for 112 yds, 2 TD; Braden Pegan 5 for 46 yds

Cincinnati leaders

Passing JC French 16 of 30, 263 yds, 1 INT
Rushing Cole Tabb 14 for 131 yds, 1 TD; Gi'Bran Payne 9 for 67 yds
Receiving JaVonnie Gibson 5 for 76 yds; Malachi Henry 1 for 63 yds

No rain through the game

66° at kickoff · no rain recorded

The usual here around this date is 54°, with about 7 in 10 games between 42° and 67°.

October game-day temperatures at Nippert Stadium

Drag along the chart, or step through the game.

First quarter, 14:54 left3:51 p.m.

Utah 0, Cincinnati 0 · Cincinnati 41% to win

no rain · 67°

Tabb 9-yd run

Where this weather comes from

Measured at Cincinnat/lunken airport, 5.6 miles away, and Cincinnati / N Kentucky International airport, 10 miles away. Wind and rain are airport readings near the stadium, not on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Before kickoff

Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.

Recent games

Last three games

Utah · 7-0

Rated 25th in our preseason ratings, 16th now.

Three straight wins, one over ranked or top-40 competition.

W 21-13 vs HoustonTop 25 No. 17 of 668 teams

won by 8 as a 6.5-point favorite

W 27-24 @ Colorado No. 94 of 668 teams

won by 3 as a 15.5-point favorite

W 41-24 vs Kansas No. 53 of 668 teams

won by 17 as a 15.5-point favorite

W 31-17 @ Iowa State No. 108 of 668 teams

won by 14 as a 7.5-point favorite

W 33-0 vs Utah State No. 55 of 668 teams

won by 33 as a 26.5-point favorite

W 43-10 vs Arkansas No. 141 of 668 teams

won by 33 as a 13.5-point favorite

W 66-14 vs Idaho No. 163 of 668 teams

won by 52 as a 38.5-point favorite

Last three games

Cincinnati · 5-2

Rated 109th in our preseason ratings, 66th now, up 43 spots.

1-2 in its last three, capped by a 13-point win over Texas Tech as a 10.5-point underdog.

W 37-24 vs Texas TechTop 25 No. 13 of 668 teams

won by 13 as a 10.5-point underdog

L 42-45 @ West Virginia No. 147 of 668 teams

lost by 3 as a 1.5-point underdog

L 7-34 @ ArizonaTop 25 No. 20 of 668 teams

lost by 27 as a 7-point underdog

W 31-26 vs Kansas State No. 30 of 668 teams

won by 5 as a 6-point underdog

W 35-31 vs Miami (OH) No. 85 of 668 teams

won by 4 as a 14.5-point favorite

W 62-10 vs Western Carolina No. 193 of 668 teams

won by 52 as a 36.5-point favorite

W 34-15 vs Boston College No. 131 of 668 teams

won by 19 as a 7-point favorite

Week by week

Cincinnati

Wk 3Wvs Miami (OH)35-31
Wk 4Wvs Kansas State31-26
Wk 5Lat Arizona7-34
Wk 7Lat West Virginia42-45
Wk 8Wvs Texas Tech37-24

Utah

Wk 3Wvs Utah State33-0
Wk 4Wat Iowa State31-17
Wk 6Wvs Kansas41-24
Wk 7Wat Colorado27-24
Wk 8Wvs Houston21-13

Power rating by week

Utah is rated 7.8 points ahead as of week 8. Our power rating by week; higher is better.

Matchups

Biggest mismatch: Cincinnati’s explosive plays against Utah, 87 points

Each row ranks the two sides among all teams. The longer the line, the bigger the mismatch.

Cincinnati’s explosive plays against Utah’s defense
Cincinnati offense, 98th percentile · Utah defense, 11th
Utah’s success rate against Cincinnati’s defense
Utah offense, 95th percentile · Cincinnati defense, 18th
Utah’s passing EPA against Cincinnati’s defense
Utah offense, 74th percentile · Cincinnati defense, 10th

Season profile, all the rows

Season profile

UtahCincinnati

EPA/play, offense

EPA/play, defense

Success rate, offense

Success rate, defense

Explosive-play rate, offense

Explosive-play rate, defense

Rush EPA, offense

Rush EPA, defense

Pass EPA, offense

Pass EPA, defense

The series

Utah leads the series 1-0

1 meeting since 2025 · Utah won the last meeting

2025Utah 45-14

Each line is Cincinnati’s chance to win through that meeting.

Line, fans and home field

The betting line, and the fans

Utah fans are feeling it less than most fanbases this week (33rd percentile among FBS fanbases), and the other side is no happier.

Utah favored by 7 · Total 56.5

How games like this usually go

Utah by 7, and it went to form

Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game

The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 426 games since 2025 with a favorite of 3.5 to 7.5 points.

The market

The spread moved 2.5 points toward Cincinnati.

The books’ cut: 4.2%, the margin built into the odds

Home field

Cincinnati is worth +5.4 points (±3.9) more at home than on the road since 2018 — top third of FBS, 73rd percentile.

75% at home, 58% on the road against FBS opponents (38-13 home, 25-18 away).

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads +3.6 at home vs. away over 99 games — inside the ±5.9 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.

The visitors travel about 1,446 miles to get here.

Where next

Conference standings

Going into this game: place in the conference, then conference record.

Cincinnati8th2-2
Utah1st4-0

Full Big 12 standings

No. 6 Utah beats Cincinnati 49-25