No trick: Utah football draws an afternoon game on Halloween against Cincinnati
Oct 19, 2026, 10:22 AM | Updated: 10:33 am
Mana Carvalho on 75-yard touchdown punt return against Cincinnati. Photo by Joel Davidson.
SALT LAKE CITY — It’s not a trick, but rather a treat: Utah football has drawn the afternoon kickoff against Cincinnati on Halloween.
So tell your kids you’ll be available for trick-or-treating in the evening.
Utah will travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats on Oct. 31 in the first-ever meeting at Nippert Stadium between the two schools at 1:45 p.m. MT.
The game will be broadcast on one of the ESPN network channels (ESPN or ESPN2), but that won’t be determined until after Utah’s game against Houston.
𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲‼️
* 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 10/24 *🆚 Cincinnati
🏟️ Nippert Stadium
📅 SAT, OCT 31
⏰ 1:45PM MT
📺 ESPN or ESPN2
📻 @ESPN700 #GoUtes | #RSNB pic.twitter.com/DxVYbDNKfc— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) October 19, 2026
The game in Cincinnati will be Utah’s third of five road games this season. Utah’s only ever meeting with Cincinnati in school history came last season, when Utah beat Cincinnati 45-14 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Utah remains one of six undefeated teams in the country, but will have a tall task on its hands Saturday against No. 14 Houston before a Halloween trip to Cincinnati.
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Josh Furlong is a Utah Utes insider for KSL Sports and is a Heisman Trophy and AP Top 25 voter for football. He hosts The Utah Checkdown podcast and appears on the KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on social media platforms X, BlueSky, Instagram and TikTok for the latest Utah updates and news.
