Jon Rothstein Picks Cincinnati Bearcats 12th in Big 12, Says UC Mostly Irrelevant for Last 7 Years

Jon Rothstein isn’t buying the preseason hype surrounding Cincinnati just yet.

The CBS Sports college basketball analyst ranked the Bearcats 12th in the 16-team Big 12 heading into the 2026-27 season, saying he needs to see the program earn the benefit of the doubt before moving it higher. Rothstein also made a blunt assessment of the program, saying “Cincinnati has been mostly irrelevant for the past seven seasons.”

Rothstein praised first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun, calling him “a brilliant offensive coach” and saying his competitive DNA reminds him of former UC coaches Bob Huggins and Mick Cronin. However, he pointed to questions surrounding the roster—particularly the uncertainty over MJ Collins’ eligibility—and said he can’t rank Cincinnati ahead of established programs led by coaches like Scott Drew at Baylor, Grant McCasland at Texas Tech, and Randy Bennett at Arizona State.

Calhoun has completely rebuilt the Bearcats’ roster and coaching staff in an effort to return Cincinnati to national prominence. While Rothstein remains skeptical for now, preseason analytics like Bart Torvik’s rankings project UC as an NCAA Tournament team.

Do you think Rothstein is underrating the Bearcats, or is his skepticism justified?