Fickell Future for Cincinnati in 2022? Cincinnati Bearcats Season Odds and Analysis

Head coach Luke Fickell arrived determined to redeem himself and restore the Cincinnati program to College football betting success.  Previously, Tommy Tuberville ran the program into the ground.  Tuberville inherited a 9-3 team from Butch Jones in 2013.  But he left in 2016 after going 4-8.  Fickell created what he called “the state of Cincinnati” for his recruiting and culture.  Subsequently, Fickell was mining the fertile grounds of Ohio for some of the best talent in the county.  Excellent talent that couldn’t get an offer from Ohio State was glad to go to Cincinnati instead.

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A New Tradition for Bearcats

Overall, the Cincinnati Bearcats football program is a recent arrival program that lacks historical success.  Instead, UC is a recent winner in the sport.  Initially, head coach Brian Kelly elevated the program to national status.  But after Kelly and his replacement, Butch Jones, departed, the program regressed.  But Luke Fickell restored the UC program to four consecutive ranked seasons.  Cincinnati finished 8^th in the nation in 2020 and 4^th in 2021.

Counter to other Group of Five coaches, including Jones and Kelly, Fickell remained committed to Cincinnati.  He was rumored to be a leading contender for high-profile jobs such as Michigan State and Notre Dame.  But Fickell stayed at UC and was fully engaged.  His “state of Cincinnati” is poised for potentially more great accomplishments.  Including Power Five membership in the Big 12 Conference starting in 2023.

In 2017 Fickell was hired by Cincinnati with a reaction of top online sportsbook doubt.  Fickell was best known for being the interim head coach at Ohio State in 2011.  While in that role, he went 6-7 and lost to Michigan.  Fickell stayed as an Ohio State assistant under Urban Meyer from 2012 through 2016.

Although the Ohio native knows the Buckeye state inside and out, that potential advantage was ignored.  Fast forward five years later, and Fickell is the greatest coaching hero in UC history.  Following a 4-8 rookie campaign, Fickell went 11-2, 11-3, 9-1, and 13-1 in the next four Betting on college football seasons.

Last year Fickell made history by taking the first Group of Five team to the College Football Playoff.  Although Cincinnati lost to Alabama, they were not embarrassed and earned further national respect.

Reload or Rebuild for UC?

Cincinnati faces the daunting bet on NCAAF task of replacing several key members of their 2021 team.  To illuminate, UC went 13-1 and played in the CFB Playoff.  However, Luke Fickell’s program is not expected to fall too far in the rankings.  Thanks to a strong track record of talent development and good recruiting.  In fact, the Bearcats are still the favorite in the American Athletic Conference for 2022.

Replacing superstar quarterback Desmond Ridder is a daunting task.  Ben Bryant and Evan Prater give the offense two capable quarterbacks.  Also, Cincinnati returns all five starters along the offensive line.  Meanwhile, a nationally elite defense returns just four starters.  The good news is that the next iteration of stars is ready to emerge.

Of course, the biggest Betting on NCAAF loss is two-time AAC Offensive Player of the Year Desmond Ridder.  Ridder’s graduation brings a new and heated quarterback competition.

Eastern Michigan transfer Ben Bryant, who once played at Cincinnati, has returned for another shot.  At the same time, highly prized recruit Evan Prater will challenge for the job too.  In 2021, Bryant started 11 of 13 games for Eastern Michigan, throwing for 3,121 yards and 14 TDs. Given the production and experience the Bearcats must replace, a return to the College Football Playoff seems unlikely.