Cincinnati Bearcats Football

Preseason polls give some teams an advantage over others, and a couple of college football teams are in danger of being left off the AP preseason poll.

Preseason rankings can often be misleading, but it gives teams an early advantage. Unranked teams need to impress every week in order to reach the BCS bowls, but ranked teams just need to win in order to stay near the top of the rankings.

The SEC is always well represented in the polls, so most of the good teams in the conference will begin the season ranked. Teams in conferences like the Big East may be snubbed based on reputation of playing in a weak group.

Every year, some teams can claim they were snubbed in the preseason polls, and here are two examples of those teams for 2012.

Boise State

Boise State is in danger of being left off the AP poll based on whom they lost from last season.

Quarterback Kellen Moore, running back Doug Martin and receiver Tyler Shoemaker are all gone, so the offense will have a new look in 2012. 

Moore left after four seasons and is the winningest quarterback in college football history. He put Boise State back on the map, so he will be difficult to replace.

Martin finished with around 1,300 rushing yards last season and found the end zone 16 times. Losing a quarterback is tough, but losing the lead running back will make it even tougher for a new quarterback.

As the leading receiver last season, Shoemaker had nearly 1,000 yards last season and 16 touchdowns. Moore and Shoemaker combined to form a dynamic duo.

The defense lost three linemen to the draft, and it will need to play aggressively this year in order to make up for the loss of talent.

The Broncos have been the most respected mid-major team for the past several years, but they are in jeopardy of being unranked in the preseason AP poll.

University of Cincinnati

Cincinnati has won the Big East in three of the past four seasons, but it will likely get left out of the Top 25.

The Big East, as a conference, will likely get snubbed because of the reputation of the league. The conference is normally the weakest of the BCS conferences, and it lost West Virginia to the Big 12. The Mountaineers will make the AP poll, but as a member of the Big 12.

The Bearcats lost quarterback Zach Collaros and running back Isaiah Pead from last season's Big East championship team.

Collaros was a multi-dimensional quarterback and kept the team among the best in the conference.

Pead was the 2011 Big East Offensive Player of the Year and won the Senior Bowl MVP. He was the team's most important player. He was able to run, catch and return kicks. He could change a game in many ways and was a big reason for the team's success.

Cincinnati was one of the toughest defenses to score on last season, and it will continue to be one of the best in the conference.

The Bearcats will be left off the poll because of the conference they play in, but they can work their way into the poll early in the season.

It has been quite the week for the Big East in terms of recruiting. Every program, with the exception of Louisville, picked up at least one commitment. In this week's Big East recruiting roundup, there is a lot for the conference to be excited about.

Cincinnati

The Bearcats were one of two programs to get three commitments this week. Those commitments were OL Dylan Wiesman, LB Dakota Cox and OL Ben Flick. Cincinnati is getting close to knocking on Louisville's door with the number of commitments, so these three commits definitely do not hurt.

A three-star recruit, Wiesman was a good grab for Cincinnati, as he was up to nine offers before deciding. Neither Cox or Flick were rated by Rivals, but both could be promising for the Bearcats.

Connecticut

The Huskies received a commitment from TE Tommy Myers this week. Myers will add good size to the field for UConn, as he stands 6'5" and 235lbs. After receiving commitments from a quarterback and receiver the week before, a tight end is a good next step for Connecticut.

Louisville

It has been a quiet June for Louisville so far, but the Cardinals are not at any disadvantage in the Big East. Currently leading in both total commitments and commitments from four-star prospects, Louisville is sitting pretty where they're at with 9 commits.

Pittsburgh

Pitt got two great commitments from RB Corey Clement and WR Zach Challingsworth. The standout between the two is definitely Clement, who ranks No. 188 on the ESPN 300. He set the South Hersey rushing record in 2011 with 2,510 yards.

Challingsworth is Rutgers first wide receiver for this class. He had 750 receptions yards and 11 touchdowns in 2011.

Rutgers

One of the most under-recruited players in the nation, QB Christopher Laviano committed to Rutgers this week. Laviano is a catch for the Scarlet Knights, as he stands 6'2" 200 pounds and is the 176th player on the ESPN 300.

South Florida

The Bulls received a commitment from QB Asiantii Woulard this week. This comes on the heels of Woulard committing to USF in February and then de-committing in April. This may be worrisome for South Florida fans, but Woulard told Corey Long of ESPN Recruiting Nation that he is done with recruiting.

Woulard is currently ranked as the No. 258 player on the ESPN 300.

Syracuse

Syracuse had a big week last week, so it's not shocking that this week was a little quieter. The team still managed to get a commitment from DT Isaiah Johnson. He's a two-star recruit out of Elkton, Maryland.

Temple

Temple needed these three commitments this week, as they were stalled at only two recruits until this point. This week, they got commitments from OL Matt Barone, DT Nik D'Avanzo and K Jim Cooper Jr. It appears that there isn't any method to Temple's recruiting madness, but their numbers are starting to rise.

It doesn't hurt that Barone is a three-star recruit out of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania that will bring some good size to the Temple field. D'Avanzo, a two-star recruit, is a big-bodied tackle at 6'3" and 260lbs.

The Cincinnati Bearcats had four players selected in the 2012 NFL draft, one of which will have a much better rookie season than the others.

The four players selected were taken in the first four rounds of the draft, a testament to what an incredible job head coach Butch Jones has done with the program since taking over in 2009.

Defensive tackle Derek Wolfe and running back Isaiah Pead were pegged as early-round selections thanks to their productive careers at Cincinnati, and that’s exactly what happened to both.

Wolfe was selected with overall pick No. 36 by the Denver Broncos. He was named the Co-Defensive Player of the Year for the Big East in 2011 and had an impressive season with 70 tackles and 9.5 sacks.

Wolfe will play his way into the defensive line rotation for the Broncos because he is versatile enough to play any position on the defensive line. He has enough strength and athleticism to be efficient in rushing the passer or plugging the run. He’ll share snaps with Ty Warren, Kevin Vickerson and Justin Bannan.

Pead was selected a few picks later with the No. 50 overall selection by the St. Louis Rams. He was the 2011 Big East Offensive Player of the Year with 1,259 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, along with 319 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Pead will be the spell back in St. Louis to none other than Steven Jackson. Pead is an effective change-of-pace back for the Rams that can run with power up the middle or catch passes with ease. He’s a dual-threat running back that could make a big difference for the Rams next season.

While Wolfe and Pead were expected to be taken high in the draft, the next two Bearcats off the board weren’t expected to be selected anywhere close to where they ended up.

Defensive tackle John Hughes was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 80 overall selection in the draft. Hughes had a solid 2011 campaign that saw him rack up 51 tackles and five sacks.

Hughes will find himself with more playing time than initially expected now that Browns starting defensive tackle Phil Taylor is out for the season with a torn pectoral. Hughes is very effective against the run, which is a perfect fit for Cleveland in the AFC North.

Finally, tight end Adrien Robinson was selected by the Super Bowl champion New York Giants with pick No. 127. Robinson caught 12 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns in 2011.

Robinson is going to struggle to make the Giants roster because of the players in front of him on the depth chart like Jake Ballard, Martellus Bennett, Bear Pascoe and Travis Beckum. He’s a great candidate for the practice squad.

Which former player will have the best rookie NFL season?

While Wolfe and Hughes will be part of a deep rotation, they aren’t likely to have flashy statistics. Robinson might not make the Giants’ roster, so he’s out of consideration.

That only leaves one candidate: Isaiah Pead.

Pead landed in the absolute best situation possible. He’s not a starting back just yet, and he won’t be asked to take that role in St. Louis. He also didn’t land with a team that will bury him on the depth chart.

Instead, Pead is the second running back on the depth chart to one of the best running backs in the league in Steven Jackson. Pead is fortunate enough to come in after Jackson has worn down the opposing defense and take advantage.

Pead will likely put up great numbers as the back behind Jackson. His combination of legitimate running and pass-catching skills will allow him to put up better numbers than most of the rookie running backs that were taken in the draft.

Pead will have the best rookie season out of any former Bearcat taken in the draft, and he could have the best career as well. The Rams have openly said they view Pead as the successor to Jackson, and he certainly has the skills to make that impact quickly. 

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The state of Ohio has a rich college football history. It's the birthplace of John Heisman, for whom the most prestigious award in the sport is named. It is also the home of the Ohio State University, one of the most tradition-rich programs in the country.

But the University of Cincinnati boasts some college football history of its own. Here are five important dates in Cincinnati college football history.

Dec. 8, 1888

The Bearcats' chief rival is Miami University. The two schools, located just 40 miles apart, have been meeting since 1888. The first game ended in a scoreless tie. That date also marked the first college football game ever played in the state of Ohio. Want more history? The series is also the oldest rivalry in college football west of the Allegheny Mountains.

The winner in the game walks away with not only bragging rights, but the Victory Bell. Miami currently leads the series 59-50-7.  

November 13,1897

That's the last time Cincinnati beat Ohio State. The final score was 24-0. Ohio State leads the lifetime series 13-2. Current Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer played college football for the Bearcats.

October 31, 1914

Cincinnati was playing Kentucky. Cincinnati's star player was a Leonard K. "Teddy" Beahr. During the game the crowd began to chant "come on Beahr-cat" in honor of the school's star player. Cincinnati won the game, 14-7.

The name didn't stick until 1919 when a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter began calling the school's team Bearcats in stories.

Sept. 10, 1983

Cincinnati had been dropped to Division I-AA status that year. The Bearcats traveled to Happy Valley to take on Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions and were given little chance of winning. But Cincinnati limited Penn State to just a field goal and came away with the 14-3 win.

Jan. 1, 2009

The Bearcats made their first appearance in a BCS game in the FedEx Orange Bowl where they lost to Virginia Tech, 20-7. An estimated 9.3 million viewers watched the game on FOX.

While it was a certainty that defensive tackle Derek Wolfe and running back Isaiah Pead would be drafted somewhere during the 2012 NFL draft, after that, it was not known how many Bearcats would be taken.

As it turned out there were four that were drafted within the first four rounds. A pleasant surprise for the Bearcats and their fans.

At the time of those four selections, the only college teams with more players selected were the Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers.

The first Bearcat off the board was Wolfe. Wolfe was selected No. 36 overall at the beginning of the second round by the Denver Broncos and was the third-highest Bearcat in the history of the NFL draft.

Wolfe is a 6'5", 305-pound defensive tackle who has a chance to step in and play immediately for the Broncos. He was a two-time second-team All-American the past two years and was also the co-Big East defensive player of the year in 2011.

He had 9.5 sacks last season from the tackle position and also was one of the top in the nation when it came to tackles for loss.

The next Bearcat off the board was explosive running back Isaiah Pead, who was taken No. 50 overall by the St. Louis Rams.

Pead was the Big East offensive player of the year in 2011 and impressed at the NFL combine as well as the Senior Bowl, where he was the MVP of the game.

In what was a bit of a surprise, the next Bearcat selected was defensive tackle John Hughes, whom the Cleveland Browns took No. 87 overall.

Hughes was expected to go in the later rounds, and it was a bit of a shock that the 6'2", 309-pound run-stopper was taken so high.

The final Bearcat selected was tight end Adrien Robinson whom the New York Giants took No. 127 overall in the fourth round.

This was a huge surprise, as Robinson was a relative unknown until Cincinnati's pro day, where he put up some impressive numbers.

Robinson had an amazing 40 time and a great vertical jump that allowed him to vault into the draft. Still, he was not projected to go much higher than the sixth or seventh round. 

The fact that Cincinnati had four players taken so high is a testament to how far the program has come not only over the past year, but also the past decade, as they have consistently had a good number of players drafted every year.

Hopefully for Bearcat nation, this is a sign of things to come for Cincinnati's football program.

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The Cincinnati Bearcats football program received another verbal commitment last week, giving them two verbals so far for the 2013 class.

Joining 3-star QB prospect Kyle Kempt, tight end A.J. Branisel from South Euclid, OH is the latest commitment for the Bearcats.

Cincinnati has had a strong influx of tight ends over the past few years, with names like Brent Celek and Ben Guidugli who are now playing on Sundays.

Cincinnati hopes Braisel can bring some of that same talent to Clifton for the 2013 football season.

Branisel is rated the No. 24 tight end in the country by Rivals. He is a 3-star recruit and could pay huge dividends down the road for Butch Jones and Co.

At 6'4" and 225 pounds, he certainly has the size to play at the Division I level.

While he did not have offers from the biggest name schools in the country, he did choose Cincinnati over schools like Missouri, Connecticut, Marshall, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Ohio and Ball State.

Branisel is out of Notre Dame Cathedral Latin High School just outside of Cleveland. He is known as a receiving tight end and should do well in the spread offense for the Bearcats.

Travis Kelce is slated to be the starter for the 2012 season, with junior Blake Annen the likely backup.

In 2013, when Kelce departs, Cincinnati will be left with Annen as the only tight end who has seen any meaningful amount of action.

Branisel is the kind of player who will have a chance to step in and be a backup as a true freshman if everything falls into place for him.

In a day that was filled with rain, the Cincinnati Bearcats and head coach Butch Jones were forced to cancel their annual spring game and move inside their bubble for a practice.

Even though it was a day that a lot of people on campus were looking forward to, the Bearcats still have a lot to be excited about as spring practice concludes.

There were a lot of activities planned around the stadium before the game that also had to be cancelled.

Even though practice had to be moved inside, it was the culmination of a solid spring that saw some new names emerge, including Solomon Tentman.

Tentman was forced to sit out the entire 2010 season—his true freshman year—after completely blowing up his knee.

It was an injury that was supposed to be career-ending, but Tentman came back and saw limited action last season. With J.K. Schaffer now having moved on to the NFL draft, Tentman has emerged as the probable starter at the middle linebacker position.

A healthy Tentman could be a big boost to the Cincinnati defense, as a lot was expected when he entered the program two years ago.

Fellow linebacker Nick Temple has continued to arise and had an excellent camp. He is in line to start alongside Tentman and senior starter Maalik Bomar.

With a lot to replace along the interior of the defensive line, junior Jordan Stepp has progressed as the possible replacement for Derek Wolfe and John Hughes, who were both lost to graduation.

For a team that has a lot to replace on both sides of the ball, spring practice was a step in the right direction, particularly on the defensive side.

Hopefully it will be a sign of things to come for next season.

Spring practice for the Cincinnati Bearcats will culminate on Saturday afternoon when the team takes the field for the final time in Bearcat Bowl VI.

This installment of the annual spring game will take place at 4 p.m. at Nippert Stadium and pits the offense against the defense.

While it is fun and exciting for the fans, there are a lot of important position battles that are taking place this spring and Saturday will go a long way toward determining who wins those jobs.

One of the most anticipated battles is the quarterback position. Even though it is all but guaranteed that junior Munchie Legaux will step into the starting role, Butch Jones has not come out and said it.

Legaux has looked good this spring and appears ready to be the next talented Bearcats quarterback.

It will be interesting to see how he has developed and progressed over the winter and spring. If Cincinnati is to be successful, he will be counted on heavily in 2012.

Plenty of other battles will be going on and one of the players to watch out for is sophomore linebacker Solomon Tentman.

Tentman redshirted as a freshman in 2010 after severely tearing up his knee. He has battled back and now is in line to earn the starting job at middle linebacker.

He will have big shoes to fill, replacing J.K. Schaffer, who is one of the best tacklers in Cincinnati history.

The Bearcats will also have to find some replacements on the offensive line. The new linemen will get their chance Saturday against an experienced defensive line the features three fifth-year seniors, entering their third year as starters.

With three Big East championships over the past four seasons, Cincinnati will have high expectations in 2012 and a lot to live up to.

On Saturday, fans will get a chance to see just what they have to offer.