12/8/09
Coach Brian Kelly's fast paced offense has done wonders in Cincinnati. The interesting facet to see will be how well this offense maneuvers without its two main elements - QB Tony Pike graduates and head coach Brian Kelly moves on to become the next Notre Dame coach. Either way, Zach Collaros looks like he will keep this offense humming as he so aptly displayed in four games replacing Pike. The system is in place to keep Cincinnati churning out winners. Predicting exactly where Cincinnati fits in the scheme of a preseason poll is absolutely nuts. This team lost 10 guys on defense heading into 2009, and were no where to be found in any of the preseason polls despite coming off the heels of a BCS bowl game. The same will be true somewhat for 2010, except this time, there is probably more recognized talent in the cupboard. The defense still leaves room for plenty of improvement. More experience is available now that those new guys are broken in, albeit none has proven worthy of All-Conference status. Plus, losing a prime time receiver / return man like Gilyard puts a dent in the game-changing factor. Without Kelly, the Bearcats probably won't see the light of a Top 10 placement, which is no surprise even as they are coming off an undefeated regular season. Regardless, there is no counting out Cincinnati anymore, especially in terms of battling annually for the Big East crown.