Look: Cincinnati Bearcats Projected 2025 Schedule Strength Among Easiest in Big 12

 We are less than 100 days from the start of the 2025 Cincinnati Football season. It's time to take a look at the most recent strength of schedule projection from Pete Fiutak of College Football News.

UC may have no excuse to miss a bowl game this fall facing the 14th-hardest schedule in the Big 12 out of 16 teams. Fiutak ranked the contests in order of hardest to easiest below:

1 Nov. 1 at Utah

2 Nov. 29 at TCU

3 Oct. 4 Iowa State

4 Oct. 18 at Oklahoma State

5 Aug. 28 vs Nebraska (in Kansas City)

6 Oct. 25 Baylor

7 Nov. 22 BYU

8 Sept. 27 at Kansas

9 Nov. 15 Arizona

10 Oct. 11 UCF

11 Sept. 6 Bowling Green

12 Sept. 13 Northwestern State

Missing: Arizona State, Colorado, Houston, Kansas State, Texas Tech, West Virginia

Fiutak thinks UC can get off to a 5-1 start if things break the right way.

"Cincinnati shocks Nebraska in Kansas City to kick things off, is solid in the other home games over the first half of the season, and it's a strong 5-1 before going to Oklahoma State," Fiutak wrote about the best-case scenario. "It comes up with two great wins over Arizona and BYU to go into the regular season finale against TCU with Big 12 title hopes still alive."

The offensive line continuity is the biggest story to watch at the beginning of the season, which features Cincinnati's easiest stretch of games. If Gavin Gerhardt and coach Nic Cardwell can get the protection unit firing on solid cylinders to start, then Cincinnati could be competing for the Big 12 title.

A big if, and one that's still a clear mystery outside of projected starting spots for Gerhardt, Taran Tyo, and Joe Cotton. Cincinnati has elevated the baseline talent level on the roster in three consecutive offseasons and faces a very palatable schedule to build momentum across.