Cincinnati Bearcats 2009 College Football Picks: Cincinnati is coming off of its first back-to-back 10 win season in history and its first outright Big East Championship since 1964. Losing the Orange Bowl to Virginia Tech to end the 2008 season may have been a sign of things to come. With 14 starters not returning, 10 of which on the defense, and six were drafted into the NFL, the Bearcats will look to avoid falling back into the well known cellar of the Big East. The college football picks experts at online sportsbook SBG Global has the Cincinnati Bearcats listed at +8500 odds to win the 2010 BCS National Championship Title.
#17 UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
2008 Final Record: 11-3
Big East Champions
2008 Final Rank: 17
Returning Starters on Offense: 7
Returning Starts of Defense: 2
Pros: Coach Brian Kelly and the Bearcat offense. Ever since Kelly has taken the reins in Cincy, the team has played extremely well, going 22-6 and making an appearance in the Orange Bowl last season. A big reason for Kelly’s success is quarterback Tony Pike who has been nothing short of outstanding. After only attempting 20 passes in his collegiate career, Pike threw for 2,407 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2008. Pike will also have one of his top receivers returning in Marshawn Gilyard who broke out for 1,276 yards on 81 receptions and danced into the end zone on 11 occasions. As long as Gilyard can create separation without last season’s top receiver Dominick Goodman on the other side of the field, the offense should run smoothly and put up points for a team that was second in the Big East in passing offense in 2008.
Cons: A truck load of starters will not be returning to a defense that was average in 2008. On top of replacing so many starters on defense, the Bearcats will also be tackling for a new defensive coordinator, Bob Diaco. Diaco has young talent to work with like defensive end Derek Wolfe, but the young talent cannot replace the all-stars that will not be returning. Leading tackler, linebacker Ryan Manalac si gone, so is and defensive end Connor Barwin who led Cincinnati with 11 sacks. In the secondary, cornerback Mike Mickens, who was second on the team with 70 tackles, and had four interceptions for 158 yards, will also not be returning. DeAngelo Smith accompanied Mickens in the Bearcat secondary, and will now be playing cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys. Those are just some of the names of departed stars, and Cincinnati will have to do a lot to fill their voids on defense. Even with so many defensive gems on the team in 2008, Cincinnati still only finished atop the Big East in sacks with 2.21 per game.
The college football picks odds makers at SBG Global have the Cincinnati Bearcats +700 odds favorites to win the Big East Conference Title.
Overall Outlook: Historically Cincinnati has not been the most established football program in college football. The last two seasons have been great successes for the school and the Bearcats have that to build upon. The question is going to be if 2009 will be more of a rebuilding year, with the 14 starters gone from a 10 win 2008 tear, or if Cincinnati can ride its offense and compete for another Big East title. Marcus Barnett will be moved from wide receiver to cornerback in 2009 to bolster the position. If Barnett can do as well defending passes as he did catching them the past two seasons, it will be a big relief for head coach Brian Kelly. If the defense can stay in the middle of the pack in the Big East, the Bearcats should be in good shape and win some shoot-outs this season behind a good offense.
Keys to Success: A solid defense and running game will lead Cincinnati to another successful season. Running back Jacob Ramsey returns with his 664 rushing yards from last season, but he will have to put more of the load on his shoulders in 2009 without John Goebel. Ramsey will have to do more in the red zone and keep some pressure off of Pike and the passing game. The defense is not going to be good, and it’s not going to lead the Big East in pretty much anything, but if they can keep the Bearcats in games and cause more turnovers than the team did in 2008, Cincinnati will compete for another Big East championship. Cincinnati has had two back-to-back 10 win seasons for the first time in school history. Cincinnati won its first outright Big East Championship last season since 1964. Cincinnati finished with 253.00 passing yards per game in 2008.
Online Sportsbook SBG Global has posted the following odds to win the 2010 BCS National Championship:Alabama +2200
Arizona St +7000
Arkansas +7000
Auburn +9000
Boston College +7500
California +2200
Cincinnati +8500
Clemson +7500
Colorado +8500
Florida +150
Florida St +4000
Georgia +7500
Georgia Tech +1200
Illinois +4500
Iowa +8500
Kansas +4500
Kansas St +8500
Kentucky +8500
Louisville +8500
LSU +3200
Miami FL +3200
Michigan +8500
Michigan St +1700
Missouri +8500
Nebraska +4500
Notre Dame +1200
Ohio St +800
Oklahoma +650
Oklahoma St +2700
Oregon +4500
Penn St +1500
Rutgers +4500
South Carolina +8500
South Florida+5000
Southern Cal +600
Tennessee +8500
Texas +650
Texas A&M +8500
Texas Tech +6500
UCLA +8500
Virginia Tech +1700
Wake Forest +8500
North Carolina +4500
West Virginia +6000
Wisconsin +6500
Field (All Others) +1200
