The Cincinnati Bearcats inexperience was the main reason they had a tough season last year. Head coach Mark Dantonio inherited a very good team in 2004 and it showed as they went on to a Fort Worth Bowl victory.
In 2005 however, the Bearcats were one of the youngest teams in the nation and it was the programs first year in the Big East. They were beaten up by many of the players in the conference and lost a lot of close games.
The Cincinnati Bearcats are returning 17 starters from last year and are getting a lot of talent coming in from Junior College on both ends of the field. Seven of the 12 games for the Bearcats will be played at Nippert Stadium and we should look for both the offense and defense to improve greatly due to the experience they gained last year.
Bowl week appearances are a long shot for this team but you can bet that in a year or two the Cincinnati Bearcats will be contenders in the conference.
