Well, a Big 12 team had to lose eventually. And technically the Bearcats weren’t the first Big 12 team to suffer a loss. But, well, Cincinnati was the first Big 12 team to lose a non-conference game. And that’s not great, if you ask me.
It also kind of stinks to see a Big 12 team lose to Nebraska, who used to be a Big 12 team a while back. I, for one, don’t necessarily love that.
So, what happened in this game? Why is it important for the Big 12?
What happened in Cincinnati's loss to Nebraska?
Talk about a solid attempt at a comeback. I mean, this game was closer through much of the first half before Dylan Raiola tossed a five yard pass for a touchdown with 11 seconds left in the second quarter. The Huskers were able to head into halftime with a 13-3 lead over the Bearcats.
And how did Cincinnati respond? By carving into the Nebraska defense and scoring a touchdown about halfway through the third quarter. Raiola tossed another touchdown pass early in the fourth, and the Bearcats responded with another score of their own, but that was it. The game ended at 20-17. There just wasn’t enough offense from Cincinnati in this one.
Why does this Cincinnati game matter to the Big 12?
This was the perfect sort of opportunity for the Cincinnati Bearcats to really break through under Scott Satterfield. The perfect sort of chance to do just that. While the Nebraska Cornhuskers aren’t exactly a great team, it would have been great to see Cincinnati get a solid win over a decent team from another conference.
Especially when you start thinking about how once upon a time Nebraska was a Big 12 team and had plenty of success in this conference in the past. Also, there’s the whole deal with the fact that Matt Rhule was a Big 12 coach once upon a time.
For the Big 12 leaders, it probably would have been nice to see the Bearcats win this one. But hey, that didn’t happen.
When will Cincinnati and Texas Tech play?
Well, not this year. It just won’t happen this season. The Red Raiders and the Bearcats played a season ago, but it’s going to be a bit before we see these two teams face each other once again. The Bearcats will play a couple of teams from Texas as they get to meet up with the Baylor Bears and TCU Horned Frogs, but they won’t get Texas Tech.
And I think I might be okay with that. Especially if Cincinnati continues to play solid teams in the way that they played Nebraska.