So let’s look at all things leading up to what could be the biggest game in Bearcats Football history.
BCS Rankings
The Bearcats stand in the nineteenth spot in the latest BCS standing ahead of Saturday’s opponent Pitt. A victory on Saturday will move the Bearcats up some depending upon how others do in their games and with three games remaining the Bearcats could move up even higher if they can win out.
The Polls
Last season the Bearcats finished seventeenth in the polls and have a great chance to see a ranking in the Top 10 depending upon how they finish the season and do in their bowl game.
The Coach
Brian Kelly in just his second season has already won 19 games as the Bearcats head coach. With only five losses at this point Kelly has a .791 winning percentage that places him ahead of any head coach the Bearcats have had with more than one year of coaching the team. Sid Gillman finished with a .789 percentage after six seasons going 50-13 from 1949-1954.
Keep in mind Brian Kelly has won two bowl games in his short time at Cincinnati and a bowl win this season would tie him with Rick Minter with three wins in post season play.
All-time the Bearcats have a winning record having played in ten bowl games in the programs history winning seven of them.
If Kelly wins a Big East title his team will become the eleventh Bearcats team to win at least a share of a conference title. Rick Minter’s 2002 team was Conference USA Co-Champions and the last Bearcats team to win a conference title was the 1964 Missouri Valley Conference Champions under Chuck Studley.
Kelly has asked for fans to pack Nippert and the Pitt game to be the biggest ticket of the year in Cincinnati. If he doesn’t see it don’t be surprised if he feels the support he knows is needed will never come. There are no excuses; this has to be the hottest ticket of the year and any empty seats are a sign this program will never reach the level Brian Kelly or any other coach feels much be obtained for long term success.
The Game
The Bearcats have never beaten Pitt in the seven previous tries. The series started with a Bearcats 21-14 loss against the Panthers in 1921. Since joining the Big East the Bearcats are 0-3 with the closest game coming last season when Pitt won 24-17.