College football’s Week 10 slate is set to start and finish in Salt Lake City, where Utah will host Cincinnati in a pivotal Big 12 clash featuring conference title and postseason implications alike.
The ranked matchup between the No. 24 Utes (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) and No. 17 Bearcats (7-1, 5-0 Big 12) will also be the site for ESPN’s College GameDay pregame show, setting both teams up with an opportunity to gain national relevance and improve their standing in the Big 12 with a win in prime time.
Heading into Saturday’s 8:15 p.m. MT kickoff from Rice-Eccles Stadium, FanDuel Sportsbook established Utah as a 7.5-point favorite over Cincinnati in its opening betting lines for Week 10.
That line was set less than 24 hours after the Utes put together their most thorough performance of the season, crushing Colorado, 53-7, while dominating all three phases of the game to earn their sixth win of the 2025 campaign. After Morgan Scalley’s defense stifled the Buffaloes in the first half, holding them to -18 total yards while recording five sacks, an interception, a safety and a blocked punt, Utah finished with 422 rushing yards — the second-most by a Kyle Whittingham-coached team — behind true freshman Byrd Ficklin’s 151 yards on the ground.
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In place of Devon Dampier, Ficklin also threw for 140 yards and tallied 3 total touchdowns in his first collegiate start. Dampier had been upgraded to probable prior to kickoff, though the Utes opted to play it safe and start the former three-star recruit instead.
Dampier’s health status didn’t have much of an impact on the point spread last week, though it could over the course of the next six days as his squad prepares to face a defense that just held one of the country’s top offenses through the air to a season-low in passing yards.
Cincinnati brings a seven-game win streak into the matchup, with its latest victory coming against Baylor in a game where the Bearcats thwarted a late rally by the Bears with 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of a 41-20 final. Despite engineering three consecutive scoring drives to make it a 3-point game after trailing 24-0, Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson never found his usual groove, finishing with just 137 passing yards while being sacked twice in his team’s fourth loss of the season.
The win kept Cincinnati in a first-place tie with BYU (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) atop the league standings. Sitting two games back, Utah has a chance to shake up the leaderboard with its first top-25 win of the season on Saturday.
Spread:
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Moneyline:
Total: 56.5 (Over -115/Under -105)
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Utah
Cincinnati
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Devon Dampier was listed as probable in Utah’s Friday availability report.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes quarterback Byrd Ficklin (15) runs the ball as Utah hosts Cal Poly, NCAA football in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.
Utah freshman quarterback Byrd Ficklin made his first career start on Saturday night.
And it took him less than a minute to find paydirt.
On the second play from scrimmage, Ficklin kept the ball and broke off a 63-yard touchdown run to put the Utes up early.
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Despite being listed as probable on Friday’s availability report, junior quarterback Devon Dampier will only be available in an “emergency situation,” ESPN reported just before kickoff.
It’s the first time the junior has not started in a game for Utes this season.
This season, Dampier has completed 68.7% of his passes for 1,375 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also has 80 carries, 442 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
Before making his first official career start, Ficklin had appeared in six games, tallying nine completions for 138 passing yards and one touchdown. The freshman had also made an impact on the ground, entering the contest with 17 rushes for 111 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
“Byrd Ficklin, we have a ton of confidence in [him] every time he’s entered a game,” head coach Kyle Whittingham said this week. “So far this year, he’s done positive things. If we end up going that route based on health, then we have the confidence he can get it done.”
Utah Mammoth (6-2, in the Central Division) vs. Minnesota Wild (3-4-1, in the Central Division)
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Saint Paul, Minnesota; Saturday, 6 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: The Utah Mammoth visit the Minnesota Wild after Logan Cooley’s hat trick against the St. Louis Blues in the Mammoth’s 7-4 win.
Minnesota has gone 3-4-1 overall with a 1-1-0 record against the Central Division. The Wild have scored 10 power-play goals, which ranks first in the Western Conference.
Utah is 6-2 overall and 3-2-0 against the Central Division. The Mammoth are fourth in league play serving 11.5 penalty minutes per game.
The teams meet Saturday for the first time this season.
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INJURIES: Wild: None listed.
Mammoth: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Despite coming off a bye, a massive list of Colorado Buffaloes players are expected to miss Saturday’s matchup against the Utah Utes due to injury.
Seventeen Buffs were listed as out on Wednesday’s player availability report, one is doubtful, three are questionable and six probable. Meanwhile, Utah listed only three players as questionable, including starting quarterback Devon Dampier. If Dampier can’t go, coach Kyle Whittingham is expected to give freshman Byrd Ficklin the starting nod under center.
Below is the first of four daily injury reports heading into Saturday’s Big 12 football matchup between Colorado and Utah:
Sep 12, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes running back Simeon Price (26) scores a touchdown during the second quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
OUT
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DOUBTFUL
QUESTIONABLE
Apr 19, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive tackle Tawfiq Thomas (95) during the spring game at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
PROBABLE
Fortunately for Colorado, the vast majority of the 27 players listed above aren’t starters for coach Deion Sanders. Still, the Buffs are lacking some depth on the interior defensive line with Coleman, Lightfoot, Barnes and Thomas all either out or questionable.
Offensively, Colorado will notably be without five reserve linemen and the running back duo of Price and Taylor.
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Sep 20, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive end Arden Walker (53) dances after his sack for a safety on Wyoming Cowboys quarterback Kaden Anderson (12) in the fourth quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Those expected to return after missing Colorado’s last game against the Iowa State Cyclones include defensive end Arden Walker, wide receiver Dre’lon Miller and safety Carter Stoutmire (probable).
“One thing that I really love about our guys, you don’t see our guys laying around on the field,” Sanders said. “They get up and they get off the darn field regardless of how hurt they are. That’s something that us coaches implemented. We don’t want to see you laying on the field because we have a rule: If you lay down there, we come out there to get you. You ain’t going back in.”
MORE: Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes Poised for Injury Comeback Week vs. Utah
MORE: Shedeur Sanders Proves Leadership Still Strong With Sideline Support for Dillon Gabriel
MORE: Utah Announces Major Injury News Before Playing Colorado Buffaloes
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Oct 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) scores a touchdown against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the third quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images
QUESTIONABLE
According to Whittingham, Dampier was “beat up” during Utah’s loss to the BYU Cougars on Saturday.
“When Devon’s hobbled, that obviously causes you to rethink some of the QB run game,” Whittingham said Monday, per Utah. “You don’t completely go away from it, but when it’s a could go either way situation, you might opt to not do it because of his mobility. He got beat up in this game (BYU) pretty good.”
Kickoff between the Buffs and Utes is set for 8:15 p.m. MT on ESPN.
