The two-time defending Big East champion Cincinnati Bearcats will have a new look this season as former Central Michigan University head coach Butch Jones steps in for the departing Brian Kelly who will take his faced-past offensive strategy to Notre Dame this Fall. Jones takes over after a successful stint with CMU, where he led the Chippewas to a 27-13 record and three bowl appearances. He will inherit a roster loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, but was with all new coaching regimes he will face the daunting task of retooling the teams strategy while maintaining Kelly's winning formula.
Here's a closer look at the 2010 Cincinnati Bearcats
For a detailed look at the 2010 Big East predictions check this out.
Offense:
The Bearcats went undefeated in conference play with a 12-1 record overall. They entered the bowl season ranked No. 3 in the BCS Standings but were stomped 51-24 by Florida in the Sugar Bowl.
For most of the season the Cincinnati offense was like a well-oiled machine mowing down opponents, scoring 39.8 points per game, making them the top scoring offense in the Big East.
After losing senior quarterback Tony Pike to graduation, this year's Bearcat offense will rest firmly on the shoulders of young quarterback Zach Collaros, who is coming off a solid sophomore season. Collaros is a rare dual threat QB that can pass the ball well and scramble for a gain if forced out of the pocket by the pass rush. He played in all 13 games and started four last season when Pike went down to injuries. The junior finished the 2009 campaign completing 93-of-124 passes totaling 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 195.5. He will have to be razor-sharp if he is to keep pace with a passing attack that averaged with 320.8 passing yards per game and 39 passing touchdowns last season.
Collaros will get plenty of help from a predominantly veteran o-line that allowed just 15 sacks last season and created the holes necessary for the 'Cats rushing attack to pile up an average 5.1-yards per carry.
That will be good news for the ground forces that combined for 23 rushing touchdowns and 143.9 yards per game in 2009.
Junior running back Isaiah Pead who will be expected to continue where he left off last season, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. He completed the season with 806 yards and nine touchdowns, while acting as a fifth receiver, dragging down 20 receptions for 200 yards.
The Bearcats added a little depth to their receiving squad with USC transfer Vidal Hazelton, who sat out last season but is expected to be a frontrunner for one of the top receiver spots. He will have to battle senior wide receiver Armon Binns who pulled in 11 touchdown receptions and averaged 68.3 receiving yards per game. Either one could earn the chance to be the number one target for Collaros. Finally, Marcus Barnett and D.J. Woods will most likely rotate in the slot receiver position.
Defense:
A large amount of this year's success at another Big East title will be determined by the Bearcats ability to play 60 minutes of solid defense for 13 games. It won't be easy as a whole host of departing seniors, including last season's leading tackler Andre Revels (109 tackles), Ricardo Matthews (44 tackles) and sack leader Alex Daniels (56 tackles), will leave some pretty big shoes to fill for some cagey Cincinnati underclassman.
Like junior 305 lbs nose guard John Hughes, whose presence will take some of the attention off defensive end Derek Wolfe, allowing him a better route to the oppositions quarterback. A place where Wolfe inflicts his damage, having contributed five sacks to rank second on the team last year. Bookending the d-line will be Walter Stewart who was second on the team in tackles for loss with 8.5.
Backing up the front four is returning linebacker J.K. Schaffer who was second on the team in tackles with 100. The junior will be expected to step it up and be a leader for in Jones' 4-3 defensive scheme.
2010 Prediction: First in the Big East. Currently the Bearcats are favored at +500 betting odds to win their Big East. Jones' will put a heap of faith in the abilities of defensive coordinators Tim Banks and John Jancek to piece back together a defense that faded away in their final five games, allowing 36 points or more in four of those final five, before surrendering 51 points to Florida to end their otherwise magnificent 2009 season. But make no mistakes; the Bearcats will be near the top at the end.
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