Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Bearcats football program began play in 1885. A great deal of the program’s success came during the Sid Gillman coaching era from 1949-54. Gillman won three conference championships before leaving for the NFL. The program joined the Big East Conference in 2005. The Bearcats defeated Western Michigan 27-24 to capture the 2006 International Bowl in Coach Brian Kelly’s first game at the helm.

The Cincinnati Bearcats enter the season with two capable quarterbacks on the roster. The move to a West Coast style offense may give the edge to Wake Forest transfer Ben Mauk over two year starter Dustin Grutza. The Bearcats will look to air it out and light up the scoreboard. The defense is stacked with proven contributors. An early non-conference battle against Oregon State at Nippert Stadium should be a good indicator of the Bearcats prospects for the season. Look for the Bearcats to upset either Louisville or West Virginia in conference play. If Mauk is the real deal, the Bearcats should earn a bowl berth.

Aug 30 - vs. SE Missouri St, 7:00 PM

Sep 6 - vs. Oregon State, 7:30 PM

Sep 15 - at Miami-Ohio, 12:00 PM

Sep 22 - vs. Marshall, 7:00 PM

Sep 29 - at San Diego St, 10:00 PM

Oct 6 - at Rutgers, TBA

Oct 13 - vs. Louisville, TBA

Oct 20 - at Pittsburgh, TBA

Oct 27 - Open

Nov 3 - at So Florida, TBA

Nov 10 - vs. Connecticut, TBA

Nov 17 - vs. West Virginia, TBA

Nov 24 - at Syracuse, TBA

Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Brian Kelly won two national championships at Division II Grand Valley State in 2002 and 2003. From there, Kelly took over the reigns at Central Michigan, where he led the team to consecutive winning seasons, including the MAC championship in 2006. Kelly replaces Mark Dantonio, who took the head job at Michigan State. Kelly emphasizes the passing game and should provide Bearcat fans with more to cheer about in 2007.

QB Ben Mauk is expected to overthrow an incumbent starter. WR Derrick Stewart and WR Dominick Goodman provide quality targets. On defense, safety Haruki Nakamura brings leadership and versatility to a solid defensive unit.