Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Scott Satterfield, left, watches an instant replay video on the jumbo screen in the fourth quarter of a college football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and West Virginia Mountaineers, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. Mountaineers won 31-24. Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bill Connelly's SP+ Metric Ranks Cincinnati Football as Big 12's Worst Team Following Spring Transfer Cycle

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bearcats on SI
By Russell Heltman | Last updated May 22, 2025 9:50 AM ET

The latest SP+ metric ranking is out from ESPN's Bill Connelly and it has the Bearcats football team rated the worst of any Big 12 team at No. 66 out of 136 FBS teams. It's calculated using returning production, recent recruiting, and recent history.

Connelly's system had them ranked 55th nationally in the post-winter transfer portal rankings. The offense and special teams are dragging down the ranking dramatically.

SP+ projects Cincinnati's offense to rank 86th nationally and the special teams to rank 88th, while the defense is 49th. It would be pretty shocking if the offense and ST are both bottom 50 units nationally, given how many resources are going to wide receiver and a completely new specialist group.

It's extra bulletin board material for the Bearcats as they try to wash away their current five-game losing streak and finish with a bowl berth this coming season.