It appears the slim victory over East Carolina last week has affected their ranking in the first College Football Playoff standings. Sitting at #17 last week, The Bearcats of Cincinnati are ranked 20th in first CFP playoff standings.
The Bearcats were lucky to walk out with a win last week vs East Carolina. The UC defense struggled to contain ECU quarterback Holton Ahlers as he threw for 535 yards and 4 touchdowns Saturday night.
The bright spot for the Bearcats was running back Michael Warren II who scored three times on the ground along with 141 yards. Warren managed to keep the Bearcats in the game long enough for Sam Crosa to kick the game winning 32 yard field goal as time expired.
The Bearcats are 7-1 on the season with the lone loss at the hands of #1 Ohio State. With the only loss on the season being against the number one team in college football, Cincinnati has a chance to finish the season with a very nice spot in the standings.
Cincinnati is looking to win the American Conference this season. They are currently sitting in first place in the East division, followed by UCF. The Bearcats win over UCF earlier in the season is the signature win for Cincinnati.
The Bearcats should be able to get another win on Saturday when 2-7 Connecticut comes to town. Connecticut running back Kevin Mensah will be the main focus for the Cincinnati defense this week. Mensah has 803 yards and 9 touchdowns this season.
After Connecticut, Cincinnati travels to USF, followed by a home game against Temple. The biggest remaining challenge on Cincinnati’s schedule is in three weeks when the Bearcats travel to Memphis to play the 21st ranked Tigers.
The Bearcats have a good chance to finish the regular season 11-1, and already being ranked 20th in the country, this could be a huge season for the Cincinnati football program. Coach Luke Fickell has done a great job turning this program in the right direction, and this season has been a sign of change so far.
