← Matchups

Cincinnati

B12 · 2-0 · power +16.3 · #51
Our numberHOU -4.1 no book has priced this game

Houston

B12 · 2-0 · power +13.9 · #61
Our side
MoneylineCIN to win ours 49%
Projected score 23–27 CIN – HOU
2026-11-07 · kickoff TBD TDECU Stadium · Houston, TX B12 game Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

Series Houston and Cincinnati split 30 (15–15) · 30 meetings since 1957
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game edge Cincinnati Bearcats 59 ranks
Cincinnati Bearcats #27 rush offense Houston Cougars #86 run defense
Pass game edge Cincinnati Bearcats 63 ranks
Cincinnati Bearcats #37 pass offense Houston Cougars #100 pass defense
Run game edge Cincinnati Bearcats 59 ranks
Houston Cougars #244 rush offense Cincinnati Bearcats #185 run defense
Pass game edge Houston Cougars 71 ranks
Houston Cougars #81 pass offense Cincinnati Bearcats #152 pass defense
Cincinnati Bearcats Balanced · 53% run Ball-control Dual-threat QB · 48 rush ypg Houston Cougars Run-heavy · 63% run Avg pace Dual-threat QB · 54 rush ypg
Scott Satterfield · 80-57 · offense-minded Willie Fritz · 77-62 · defense-minded

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
Cincinnati Bearcats
RB Gi'Bran Payne 210 rush yds · 2 TD · 2 rec #70 RB
DL Josh Hough 7 tkl · 1.5 sacks · 1.5 TFL #206 DL
WR JV Gibson 9 rec · 133 yds · 2 TD #129 WR
LB Jonathan Thompson 14 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 2.0 TFL #144 LB
Houston Cougars
WR Amare Thomas 11 rec · 162 yds · 2 TD #73 WR
TE Patrick Overmyer 8 rec · 100 yds · 1 TD #30 TE
DB Jordan Allen 5 tkl · 4 PD · 1 INT #162 DB
DB Jalen Mayo 9 tkl · 2 PD #271 DB

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
Cincinnati BearcatsB12 +16.3 +8.9 +7.5 #51
Houston CougarsB12 +13.9 +9.8 +4.1 #61

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
Cincinnati offense vs Houston defense+4.8 pts
Houston offense vs Cincinnati defense+2.4 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 895 mi
Rest · context onlyHome team on 7 more days rest

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.