BUT, in 2006 we were happy we made it back to a bowl game so quickly in our second year in a BCS Conference. The International Bowl. In 2009 we're pretty upset we have to SETTLE for the Sugar Bowl.

I'm of the opinion that "look how far we've come" is still good, because... really... "look how far we've come".

12-0, no one expected it; and we're still trying to teach people how far UC football has come. The rankings have reflected it all season. Being unranked, and moving to the top five. this season has been vindication of the "look how far we've come" phrase.

Keep saying it until it is recognized.

I think any disappointment is because the team went undefeated and how many times does that happen? When is our next shot at a national title? Hopefully soon, but I'm not holding my breath.

You're wrong, this is not being overstated at all. 6 years ago we were a 2nd tier non-BCS program in C-USA, with no real television coverage, no Top 25 rankings, and an afterthought not only nationally, but in Ohio, having to settle for 2 for 1 and 3 for 1 deals, and having subpar facilities, and being happy to average 20,000 people were game, sometimes having under 20,000 for a game, and average recruiting. 6 years later, we have won back-to-back outright Big East titles, titles on par with the SEC or Big Ten or Pac-10 in regards to sending you to a BCS bowl, we're a national power, 3 straight years in the Top 25, we're actually making case to consistently compete with Ohio State for recruits (something people like Mays and Herbstreit hate), we're getting home and home with quality BCS programs like Virginia Tech, NC State, Purdue, Oklahoma, Oregon State, we have very good facilities, and now we're going to upgrade them to compete with the big boys, we're in the national title hunt, getting very good recruits, I mean, who is this being overstated? Cincinnati has beaten as many, probably more Top 25 teams this year then they did in their last 5 years in C-USA. Our best year in the last 5 years of C-USA was 7-5, UC's worst stretch during this current run was 8-5. I mean, looking at Cincinnati now, and looking at them in 2003, I don't know how people can say it is being overstated. The last 4 years Cincinnati is 41-11, including going 11-7 vs the Top 25 during that stretch, including 7-2 vs the Top 25 during our Big East championship run, and 10-3 vs the Top 25 since entering the Top 25 a few years ago. That is a LONG way.

All I can say is that I remember sitting in the student section on a saturday night in 1999 watching us lose to IAA Troy State where there were so few fans around me that I would have been the only one killed if someone tossed a grenade in my section and one of the vendors gave me a free whole LaRosa's pizza because there was no one around to buy them and they were going to waste. So yeah, we've come a long way.

(12-06-2009 09:16 AM)JackieTreehorn Wrote:  All I can say is that I remember sitting in the student section on a saturday night in 1999 watching us lose to IAA Troy State where there were so few fans around me that I would have been the only one killed if someone tossed a grenade in my section and one of the vendors gave me a free whole LaRosa's pizza because there was no one around to buy them and they were going to waste. So yeah, we've come a long way.

I was there at that game Mr. Treehorn. I was so pissed at that result, I didn't show up for the next game...where we beat a top 5 Wisconsin and tore down the posts! We were an inconsistent team but we were far better than the teams I watched in the early 80s with my dad getting 80 pts put on them by the likes of PSU.

(12-06-2009 08:12 AM)Bourgeois_Rage Wrote:  I think any disappointment is because the team went undefeated and how many times does that happen? When is our next shot at a national title? Hopefully soon, but I'm not holding my breath.

You mean our first shot at an NC? if BK stays it will come sooner rather than later. Honestly, it might come next season. The big reason we started outside of the top 25 was due to our defensive losses. That won't be so severe after this season. Plus, the reason they would have left us out of next season's preseason top 25 was Pike and Gilyard leaving. That's going to be mitigated because of Collaros' performance and Hazelton and Howard (hopefully) stepping up. We won't have to convince ppl we're a top 25 team. We'll be, at the very least, a top 20 team and the climb into the top 5 will be less challenging.

Bearcats will be preseason top 10 next season.

(12-06-2009 02:29 PM)BearcatMax54 Wrote:  Bearcats will be preseason top 10 next season.

With a W in the Sugar i would be more likely to lean the top 10 but we need a Bowl W against a big time opponent. Sugar Bowl against the Gators would do just fine.

I remember going to the games and sitting in the end zone bleacher seats. Having kids just running up and down the bleachers and really not bothering anyone since the crowd was that small. Fast forward to now it is amazing and all we can hope is that it just keeps growing. Hopefully Kelly will stay and we keep growing but if not the next hire is as important as any. We have seen what a bad hire can do. Just look south to Louisville. But with all that, the cats need to focus on this bowl game. If it turns out to be UF then they have their work cut out for them. WVU has a great fan base, but alot of their credibility came after beating Georgia in the bowl game. I think you win a game like that and it does alot, just not for Cincy but for the Big East. Although we were still happy, Va Tech took us out of our element last year and ended on a bit of a sour note because it seemed we didn't play Bearcat football. This year let's bring it and leave everything on the field.