Cincinnati Bearcats Season Preview

Once upon a time, Brian Kelly was the coach here from 2007-2009. He went 33-7 including two Big East crowns in a row, including a 12-0 regular season in 2009.

Some say TCU would have gone to the BCS Title had Texas missed that FG in the 2009 Big 12 Title to Nebraska, but it could have been these Bearcats.

Butch Jones took over the next year, which is actually a coincidence since he was the one who replaced Kelly while he was at Central Michigan. Jones won two MAC Titles at Central Michigan in his three years prior coming to Cincinnati.

However, year one did not go as planned, with the Bearcats going just 4-8 overall and 1-6 in the Big East. That was good for 7th place.

Jones went 4-8 in his first year and many are already wondering if he can get the Bearcats back into conference contention like Kelly once did.

Well, he certainly has the QB to do it with. Last season, Zach Collaros was 20th in the nation in total offense, averaging 282 YPG.

His 30 total TDs were very impressive, but his 14 INTs were horrid to watch. At only 6', 223 lbs, he is not tall enough to see deep into coverage or even over linemen for that matter. Checking down to his receivers and letting his star RB Isaiah Pead put on a clinic is mandatory.

Pead rushed for 6 TDs while eclipsing the 1,000 yard mark. His backfield mates did not provide much as he and Pead were the only ones who ran over 203 rushing yards.

The depth is fairly weak and if Jameel Poteat cannot provide a much-needed punch off the bench then the Big East should feast on Collaros as he will be standing back there like a dead duck.

Collaros can run and buy time for his receivers and DJ Woods is not a bad option. Woods is coming off a 1st Team All-Big East selection where he caught 57 passes for 898 yards and 8 TDs.

Woods may have a decent chance at going deep into consideration for the Fred Biletnikoff award, given to the best WR in the nation. He is the best in the Big East, but will only have a great year if he has somebody else step up. If not, Woods will receive constant harassment with double and even triple man coverage.

JUCO recruit Kenbrell Thompkins looks like the guy to help out Woods since he has all the skills to become a productive player.

The OL only has two backs, though Alex Hoffman is a top five linemen in the Big East. The rest of the bunch will struggle a bit however.

This offense will live and die by what Collaros gives the team because they are not nearly as deep at RB or WR like they once were, say, three years ago. 

The defense was just 63rd in yards allowed last year (369). Hopefully with 10 starters back they can improve dramatically so they can get back in the conference title race.

Besides the Big 12, the Big East is the only other conference to not have a Conference Championship Game. So, that means Cincy must win all of their important home games in order to have any chance to win the conference let alone go back to a bowl.

The front four returns intact, but there are still a lack of legit NFL players, let alone stars, who can step up. The same goes for the LB core, and the secondary was 88th against the pass allowing 234 YPG. The 'Cats have a decent duo with Dominique Battle and Reuben Johnson, so their numbers should improve. 

This schedule is manageable, but the Bearcats are not talented enough on either side of the ball to seriously contend for a Big East crown. They just came off a miserable 4-8 season where they were blown out in a few games.

Collaros, Pead, and Woods need to play their "A" game as they enter their final seasons. An early trip to Knoxville against the Vols will determine if this team has any chance of making a bowl game.

They need to avoid getting smoked or else their confidence will be extremely low heading into conference play. I look for these 'Cats to rise to the occasion and sneak into a bowl by knocking off both Syracuse and Connecticut to close the season.

Predicted Finish: 7-6, 3-4

Predicted Bowl:  Beef O’Brady’s Bowl           

Predicted order of finish in Big East: Fourth