2008 Cincinnati NCAA Football Betting Preview

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NCAA College Football Betting Preview – Cincinnati Bearcats

What difference can a head coach make? Take a look at the Cincinnati Bearcats, who emerged as a serious threat for football betting enthusiasts in the Big East after Brian Kelly came over from Central Michigan. They had their best online wagering season for NCAA betting aficionados in 56 years.



The Bearcats added Kelly’s spread offense to what turned out to be an excellent defense. Bearcats football is once again relevant to sportsbook bettors and is one of the reasons why the Big East is making a push to be one of the stronger conferences

Offense

The Bearcats will take a big hit with the loss of quarterback Ben Mauk if he isn’t granted a sixth season of eligibility, but regardless, they are confident that their offense will continue to hum.

Senior Dustin Grutza will probably be the starter although Notre Dame transfer Demetrius Jones is intriguing.

There are plenty of experienced wide receivers around. Marcus Bennett and Dominick Goodman are two studs who cause some real problems in this spread offense. The receiving corps is loaded with big targets, which is going to cause a lot of matchup problems.

Eight starters return on offense, so there won’t be many concerns but one area that is lacking is running back. The Bearcats don’t have a feature runner and with Mauk likely gone, junior Jacob Ramsey is the leading rusher on the team.

This offense will be in a transitional phase if Mauk isn’t eligible, but if he is, will be one of the best around. He might be the key to a BCS season.

Defense

The Bears return seven starters on a defense that led the nation in turnovers with 42. Defensive tackle Terrill Byrd and cornerback Mike Mickens lead the way as potential All-American candidates. Byrd is a force inside and he’ll be a key as the Bearcats have to replace both starting defensive ends.

The Bearcats were able to get a lot of pressure last year, which led to turnovers, but now with inexperienced ends, the defense might take a small step back.

The linebacking corps returns Corey Smith and Ryan Manalac, who mopped up 156 tackles last year. This group is stellar and so is the secondary, which is led by Mickens and DeAngelo Smith. This starting tandem of cornerbacks might be the best in the country.

This unit ranked 13th in the nation last year and returns many of its key starters but the pass rush is a bit of a concern.

Outlook

The Bearcats are here to stay until coach Kelly takes off for a bigger program but they will be hard-pressed to repeat their 10-win season.

Losing Mauk and both defensive ends will hurt. Last year’s defense could have carried them to a Big East title but this unit looks like a little bit of a downgrade. The offense also be a little worse without Mauk.

If Mauk should come back, though, this team could legitimately compete for the Big East crown.

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