The Cincinnati Bearcats under second year coach Brian Kelly should be an interesting team to watch this year. They check in at #26 on Rivals preseason countdown.
The Bearcats will tune up against perennial doormat Eastern Kentucky out of the gate before heading out to Norman, OK to take on the Sooners. If by some miracle the NCAA allows QB Ben Mauk another year of eligibility (they won't), I give the Bearcats a shot on the road against Boomer.
If the Bearcats have another solid season and are in the hunt for the Big East title (I expect both) then this could be the last year for Coach Kelly at UC. One of the big boys will come calling.
If the Bearcats need to break in a new QB it'll likely be Dustin Grutza (who's seen plenty of in-game action at this stage) or Demetrius Jones. Jones you may recall started the first game of the year for Notre Dame last season before realizing that Charlie Weis was in fact a moron and bolting South Bend. DJ sat out the rest of the 2007 season and therefore is eligible for 2008 play. Jones was a four-star prospect out of Chicago.
And while the offense is getting itself worked out, the defense will carry the torch. The Bearcats had the 12th stingiest scoring D in the land last season. The best returning player on that side of the ball is "Six Feet of Thunder", Terrill Byrd (pictured, check out those guns!). In the great tradition of full-blown pipe-hitters roaming the UC campus, T. Byrd brings the pain in the middle of the defensive line. He racked up 17 TFL's and eight sacks last season and looks to make a run at All American this year.
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