College Football Predictions – Cincinnati Bearcats 2020 College Football Preview
August 21, 2020
2019 Recap
Record – 11-3
ATS – 9-5
The Bearcats fielded a REALLY good team but couldn’t get past the dreaded Memphis Tigers. They sat at 10-1 before dropping a pair of games to Memphis including the AAC Championship Game. Their only other loss was an understandable road beating at the hands of Ohio St. Head coach Luke Fickell has done a great job at Cincinnati (26-13 over three seasons) and should have them contending for a number of years.
Is this the year they win all the AAC marbles?
2020 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
American Athletic Conference – #2
<Note. No divisions this year. One 11-team conference.>
Cincinnati Bearcats 2020 Outlook
OFFENSE
The offense struggled with inconsistency a season ago and didn’t score more than 24 points in any of their final four regular season games. They ended the year ranked #10 (!) in the AAC in total offense and that’s just not good enough to backstop a championship season. QB Desmond Ridder regressed a bit LY and completed just 55% of his passes with a mediocre 18-9 TD to INT ratio. The good news is that he provides excellent mobility at the position (650 rushing yards LY) and it’s quite possible he’ll thrive as a third-year starter. The THROW GAME might take a while to get cooking as they lose almost all the main contributors at WR and TE, but they do bring back #1 WR Alec Pierce (65217,6, 2 TD LY). It doesn’t help that 1,200-yard rusher Michael Warren II left early to try his hand in the pros (Eagles) but #2 RB Gerrid Doaks is back (5.3 YPC LY) and they add ROLL TIDE transfer RB Jerome Ford. The offensive line returns a pair of starters and Michigan transfer James Hudson is ready to be added to the equation.
This feels like an average AAC unit but note that they have a proven WINNER at QB.
DEFENSE
In a development that shocked absolutely NOBODY, the Bearcats played solid defense once again last year. It was their second consecutive season leading the conference in scoring defense and they were #3 in total defense. Things look SPICY heading into 2020 with eight starters returning to the mix. The DL is probably the best in the conference and it features a lot of experience and tons of quality depth. The LB group loses a pair of stars (#2 and #3 tacklers LY) and that makes this unit the only question mark on D. The Bearcats were #2 in the AAC in pass efficiency defense LY and #1 in the conference with 16 INTs. They return every starter in a secondary that includes several standouts including leading tackler FS Darrick Forrest. CB Ahmad Gardner is one of the best at his position in the AAC.
This is another top-notch unit and it just might be the best in the AAC.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Bearcats will need to find a new PK to replace the reliable Sam Crosa but they do have an excellent punter in senior James Smith. The return units appear to be in good hands.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – Nine games are set at this point. The non-conference booking is a FREE SQUARE vs Austin Peay. Their conference slate is tough as they need to face UCF (A), Memphis (H), and SMU (A). Their final two games are tough ones (at UCF, at Temple).
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – Nothing heinous noted.
Season Win Total
Waiting for Vegas/Offshore. <waiting to schedule to be finalized>
MEGALOCKS says:
Waiting for Vegas/Offshore.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
The Bearcats have put together multiple double-digit win seasons three times in recent history. 2007-2009 (10,11,12; Brian Kelly), 2011-2012 (10,10; Butch Jones) and 2018-2019 (11,11; Luke Fickell). Prior to 2007 they had never won more than eight games in a season. Amaze the local BAR SKANK with that trivia bomb.
MEGALOCKS Outlook:
This is another nasty-looking team that’ll contend in the AAC from start to finish. The offense may take a while to come around but the defense will be excellent. They drew a tough schedule but we think they’ll get to the conference title game.
Want more Cincinnati Bearcats football ?
WEBSITE
https://gobearcats.com/sports/football
FORUM
http://bearcatnews.com/forum/football
http://csnbbs.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=404
http://cincinnati.247sports.com/Board/Cincinnati-Bearcats-Football-Message-Board-Forum-39
NEWS
https://www.cincinnati.com/sports/uc/
http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2132/cincinnati-bearcats
TWITTER
Hashtag – #Bearcats, #CinCityPride
Accounts to follow