Cincinnati Upsets No. 8 Texas Tech 37-24 as $40 Million Roster Hurts CFP Hopes

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 24

37-24 at Nippert Stadium, unranked Cincinnati handed No. 8 Texas Tech its first loss, denting the Red Raiders’ Big 12 title-game path and College Football Playoff margin for error.
Texas Tech’s offense failed to reach the end zone on its first 11 possessions, settled for four field goals and committed three turnovers; its only offensive touchdown came when the game was already out of reach.
24-6 at halftime, Cincinnati built control behind an 11-play scoring drive, a late interception and a 51-yard Cole Tabb run that set up another touchdown before the break.
JC French threw four touchdown passes and Tabb ran for 173 yards, a sharp contrast with Tech quarterback Will Hammond’s 227 yards and two turnovers against a defense that had allowed 500-plus yards in each of its previous two games.
The upset also boosts Scott Satterfield, whose Cincinnati program entered with one of the Big 12’s smallest roster budgets—about $14 million to $16 million—while exposing how much more open the conference race has become.