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I'm not a believer in preseason polls at all. How can you rank any team before they actually play a game? I'm a firm believer that the polls shouldn't come out until around the beginning of October. By then every team has played four or five games, and are about to enter conference play. Preseason polls can really hurt teams that have stellar seasons but started out the season ranked too low to make a move to the top of the rankings. At the same time it can both help and hurt those teams that get top rankings. It can help them in the way that as long as the teams don't lose, they don't drop, even if teams below them are undefeated and beating better teams. But it can also hurt them. If a top ranked team loses, especially early in the season, they could slide pretty far down the rankings and have to fight their way back to the top, hoping to get a lot of help along the way.

With all that said, today the USA Today Coaches' Poll was released. It counts for 1/3 of the overall BCS rankings at the end of the season. Its no surprise that last year's BCS champ, Alabama, sits atop the rankings with 55 of the 59 first place votes. They are returning 10 of 11 starters on offense from last year and are definitely considered to be the favorites to take the title again this year. Behind them sits the the Ohio State Buckeyes, who received four place votes. With Heisman hopeful, Terrelle Pryor leading the charge, the Buckeyes could see themselves back in a national title game come January. Rounding out the top five is Florida, Texas, and the surprise to the party, Boise State. This is the highest the Broncos of the "Smurf Turf" have ever been ranked in preseason polls. While Boise State isn't in a BCS conference, its a very good possibility that they could crash the party this year. Their fate could very well be decided after their first game this year when they take on No. 6 Virginia Tech.

A complete listing of the USA Today Coaches' Poll is listed below:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Florida
4. Texas
5. Boise State
6. Virginia Tech
7. TCU
8. Oklahoma
9. Nebraska
10. Iowa
11. Oregon
12. Wisconsin
13. Miami (FL)
14. Penn State
15. Pittsburgh
16. LSU
17. Georgia Tech
18. North Carolina
19. Arkansas
20. Florida State
21. Georgia
22. Oregon State
23. Auburn
24. Utah
25. West Virginia

*For those of us here in Cincy, the Bearcats are on the outside looking in at No. 26. Odds are they will be in the top 25 at some point this season, most likely after the first week if they beat Fresno State and one of the lower rank teams get upset and fall out.

College Football usa today coaches' poll, alabama, ohio state, terrelle pryor, florida, texas, boise state, virginia tech

The Reds signed 37-year old relief pitcher Jason Isringhausen to a minor league contract today. A couple days after watching him throw a bullpen session at Great American Ball Park, Isringhausen showed the powers that be enough to offer him a contract to join the Reds Triple-A affiliate, the Louisville Riverbats.

Isringhausen will officially sign his contract tomorrow. Its likely that he will work down there for a couple weeks before being added to the major league roster. Once added he will assume a late-inning or set-up relief role with the team. The Reds have been in need of help in the bullpen as it has been a roller-coaster of a year for all but Arthur Rhodes coming on in relief.

Making a career out of being a closer, primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals, Isringhausen could be used in that role from time to time if needed. With his 293 saves, Isringhausen is fourth among active pitchers - one spot ahead of the Reds current closer, Francisco Cordero, who has had a rocky year in the role this season.

Isringhausen hasn't pitched in the majors since June 2009 when he was with the Tampa Bay Rays. After blowing out his elbow he had to have Tommy John surgery and is looking to make a comeback with the Reds. He was one of the more dominating closers in the game from 2002-08 when he was working for the Reds current General Manager, Walt Jocketty, with the Cardinals. During that time he notched 217 saves before injuries started taking their toll on him.

Reds manager Dusty Baker has said that he thinks Isringhausen is looking really strong and throwing very well. If that is the case and he can bounce back from surgery he will be a welcome addition to a bullpen that will need help down the stretch.

MLB cincinnati reds, jason isringhausen, arthur rhodes, francisco cordero, walt jocketty, dusty baker

The Dallas Cowboys are surprisingly the first team to have their first-round pick put ink to paper and sign a contract. Dez Bryant signed a five year deal worth $11.5 million, with $8.5 million guaranteed, today. Bryant, selected No. 24 overall, wasn't expected to be signed by the start of camp, so the fact that he is has the Cowboys relieved.

The Cowboys moved up three spots in this year's draft to snag the former Oklahoma State wide receiver. Bryant was an All-American in 2008 when he had 87 catches for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns. He missed most of the 2009 season after lying to NCAA about his activities with former NFL wideout, Deion Sanders. Even with missing part of last season, the Cowboys had seen enough from his previous year to know that he has the ability to be an impact receiver in the NFL.

With the Bryant signing, the precedent has been set for the mid-to-late round picks in this year's draft when it comes to how contracts will be structured. The No. 1 overall pick is typically the first to sign a contract, usually doing so before the day of the actual draft. That was not the case this year as the St. Louis Rams have yet to sign their pick, quarterback Sam Bradford.

NFL dallas cowboys, dez bryant

With four spots set in the Cincinnati Reds rotation, one spot is left up for grabs. That spot should be decided after tonight's spring training game. The final spot could go to either Mike Leake or Travis Wood. Neither pitcher has experience in the majors, but both have had been decent in spring training. Leake, the likely front-runner, has thrown 12 innings this spring, giving up four runs and striking out eight. Wood, who pitches tonight in the second half of a split-squad game, has thrown 14 innings, giving up four runs and striking out 12. Leake has more experience in the minors, which is why he is being considered over Wood at this point.

At the start of training camp there was a lot of hype surrounding Aroldis Chapman, the phenom free agent that defected from Cuba to join the Reds. There was a lot of speculation that he could end up taking that fifth spot in the rotation if he performed well in spring training. All signs pointed to that being a reality until Chapman suffered a minor back injury while pitching in a game a couple weeks ago. The Reds are being very cautious with him and rather than throwing them to the wolves right out of the gate, it looks like Chapman will start in the minors and work his way up to the big leagues. In all likelihood, Chapman will be up with the club at some point this season.

With the rotation almost set, all eyes will turn to Aaron Harang, who will start his fifth straight Opening Day for the Redlegs. He's struggled this spring giving up 16 runs in 13.2 innings (9.88 ERA). Harang struggled down the stretch last year and with the way his spring has gone, there is cause for concern. While spring stats don't typically mean much when it comes to veterans, an almost 10.00 ERA is not something to be taken lightly or looked over. Harang is supposed to be the ace of the rotation followed by Bronson Arroyo and Johnny Cueto, both of which have been decent this spring and should transfer over into the regular season just fine. Homer Bailey has also had a good spring and as long as he can remain consistent and stay under control, this could be the year he finally lives up to the hype that surrounded him a few years ago when the Reds drafted him. Its Harang that the fans in Cincy are worried about. He will toe the rubber against the St. Louis Cardinals on Opening Day, where he will try to finally get the Reds started off on a winning note to the season.

As it stands, the Reds starting rotation looks like this to start the 2010 season:

1. Aaron Harang
2. Bronson Arroyo
3. Johnny Cueto
4. Homer Bailey
5. Mike Leake/Travis Wood

MLB cincinnati reds, mike leake, travis wood, aroldis chapman, aaron harang, bronson arroyo, johnny cueto, homer bailey

Opening Day is still four weeks away but the talk has already begun in Cincinnati about how good can this team be. There are many questions left to be answered between now and April 5th. Will the starting rotation live up to the hype that a lot are giving it even without Edinson Volquez? Who will fill that fifth spot in the rotation? Will Aroldis Chapman make the team out of spring training and will he live up to the hype surrounding him? Will Scott Rolen fill in nicely as the full-time third baseman this year and as a mentor to some of the younger guys coming up? Who will start in left field? Center field? And so on. But one of the more pressing questions facing the team is will the once considered phenom, Jay Bruce, have a bounce back year and finally come into his own? With the way things look early on in spring training, the answer to that question very well could be yes.

Bruce missed almost 60 games last season after breaking his right wrist diving to catch a ball. Before the injury he wasn't having a stellar season with the bat and finished the season batting a disappointing .223 with 22 home runs and just 58 RBIs. Bruce almighty, not so much. However, on a positive note, after coming back from the disabled list, Bruce caught fire and over his last 18 games he hit .326 with four home runs and 17 RBIs. Ending the season in that way gave Reds' fans hope for the 2010 season.

That hope has carried over into spring training where fans have seen Bruce continue to hit. In seven games he is hitting .357 and has one home run. Like most of the rest of the lineup for the Reds, Bruce always seemed to be trying to do to much at the plate rather than just concentrating on getting the bat on the ball. With inconsistent hitting in the lineup from top to bottom, with the exception of Joey Votto when healthy, everyone seemed to try to push too hard, including Bruce. With the adjustments he made at the end of last season, Bruce is attempting to become a more complete hitter, not trying to step up to the plate and hit a four-run homerun every time.

In order for this team to succeed, guys like Bruce need to become more consistent. At 23 years old, a lot of pressure is resting on the shoulders of #32. Bruce was looked at as being the guy to replace Adam Dunn once he was traded off to Arizona a couple years ago. The thought was that he had a better overall skill set than Dunn. He didn't have as much power, but he could hit for average and had a little pop in the bat while being able to play decent defense in the outfield. The way last season went, it was hard to tell that this guy was supposed to be one of the next big things in the game. The one two punch that was to be of Bruce and Votto didn't come to be as most thought it might last season. With the way things are looking for Bruce early on in spring training, there's reason to believe that maybe, just maybe this is the year he truly arrives in the big leagues. Yes, its only spring training and where they play out in Arizona does favor hitters, if a guy can hit, he can hit. It doesn't matter what part of the country he's playing in.

While there are many questions still to be answered leading up to Opening Day, one thing is for sure; Bruce has the skills to be one of the most consistent and feared hitters in the game. The National League Central is wide open this year. If the Reds are going to compete for the division title this year, they are going to need Bruce to be the player they thought he would be when he arrived on the scene a couple years ago. His new found patience at the plate could turn him into just that player.

MLB cincinnati reds, edinson volquez, aroldis chapman, scott rolen, jay bruce, joey votto, adam dunn

The Cincinnati Bengals decided to pass on signing Terrell Owens today, and instead they went in a younger, possibly more risky direction. Antonio Bryant signed a four year, $28 million deal today, with incentives that could make the deal worth up to $29 million. There was a lot of speculation that the Bengals would sign Owens, especially with Chad Ochocinco pushing so hard for the organization to bring him here. The Bengals were also in talks of possibly pursuing Brandon Marshall from the Denver Broncos. Instead Mike Brown and the Bengals decided to go with Bryant, who comes by way of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Last year Bryant suffered a knee injury in training camp that limited him in action during the season. He finished 2009 with 39 catches for 600 yards and four touchdowns. In 2008, however, Bryant set career highs with 83 catches for 1,248 yards and and seven scores. Bryant could be the guy they've been looking for to compliment Ochocinco on the outside. He will replace a disappointing Laveraneus Coles, who the Bengals released a short time ago.

With the signing of Bryant questions now arise as to what the Bengals will do with their first round pick in the draft. They have the 21st overall pick, a pick they would have had to trade away had they decided to pursue and sign Marshall. Its very likely that the team will go with Jermaine Gresham, a tight end out of Oklahoma. Gresham missed all of last season with the Sooners due to a knee injury. If he is fully recovered, there's a good chance he could be just the guy they've been looking for to fill the void at tight end. The Bengals thought they had that last year when they drafted Chase Coffman out of Missouri, but unfortunately he hasn't impressed and never saw the field last season. Gresham would provide the pass catching tight end the team so drastically needs.

There's also been a lot of buzz around Cincinnati saying the Bengals should try to get Cincinnati Bearcats' wideout, Mardy Gilyard if at all possible in the second round. Adding Mardy to the mix would make this offense insane! Gilyard would give Carson Palmer his down the field, breakaway threat. He would also boost the kick return game, something this team desperately needs! Its not likely that Gilyard will fall to the Bengals in the second round, but its not out of the question either. Nobody thought Rey Maualuga would fall as far as he did last year and the Bengals snatched him up in the second round. Its also very possible that the Bengals may take a chance and draft Gilyard in the first round, but that might be stretching it.

Regardless of what the Bengals do in the draft, the additions of Bryant and Matt Jones (picked up last month in free agency) have this offense taking shape as possibly being one of the most lethal in the NFL. Ochocinco, Bryant, Jones and Andre Caldwell should dramatically improve on the numbers put up by the 26th ranked passing attack from last year. And with Palmer at the helm and a solid running attack headed up by Cedric Benson, this Bengals team could be scary. They could be 2005 playoff team scary!

NFL cincinnati bengals, antonio bryant, terrell owens, chad ochocinco, brandon marshall, jermaine gresham, mardy gilyard, carson palmer, matt jones, andre caldwell, rey maualuga, cedric benson

Cincinnati Bengals' cornerback Leon Hall was cited this past Sunday for driving under the influence and driving left of center in in Clermont County on Ohio 125. It was reported that Hall had a blood-alcohol level of 0.149, which is almost twice the legal limit of 0.08 in Ohio.

Hall's attorney entered a not guilty plea this morning on his behalf. A cruiser cam shows Hall telling the officer that he was rushing home because his wife was having a baby.

The Bengals have had their fair share players with a run in with the law. Hall, a third year player out of Michigan, is just another added to the list. For a player with a bright future and one that was coming into his own last year, this would be a step back and just another offense that the media can spin and use to dig against the Bengals, again.

On a personal note and as a huge Bengals fan myself, I am giving Hall the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully more information will come out as this goes forward and we will find out that his wife was in labor and that was why he was driving erratically. Drinking and driving is never okay. If Hall has to face a DUI charge and he gets found guilty then he's just another in the long line of professional athletes that, for some reason, think its alright to drive intoxicated rather than calling a cab or a friend or a teammate and have them drive them wherever they need to go.

Hall has a very bright future with the Bengals. If found guilty, the sad part isn't so much that he made the decision he made, but that the image of the team he plays for just takes another hit. The Bengals don't do themselves any favors with the players they choose to sign that come with baggage, but in this case Hall was one of the last guys you'd expect to find getting in trouble with the law.  Hopefully he will be found not guilty and all of this will go away, Even if Hall is found not guilty you can count on the crew from ESPN covering the NFL draft in a couple weeks to talk about it along with every other player that's had a run in with the law on the Bengals.

NFL cincinnati bengals, leon hall

John Clayton of ESPN.com reports that the Cincinnati Bengals have signed defensive lineman Tank Johnson to a one-year deal. The addition of Johnson adds much needed girth to the defensive line for the Bengals. There have been projections for the upcoming NFL draft that have the Bengals taking a defensive lineman, but now with the signing of Johnson its very possible they will go in a different direction, possibly drafting an offensive lineman or even a wide receiver.

Johnson spent the last two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys where he recorded 33 tackles and three sacks. He was drafted in the second round in 2004 by the Chicago Bears but was released after serving an 8-game suspension in 2006 for a gun violation.

Johnson, 27, is two years removed from his legal issues and seems to have put it all behind him, but the fact that he signed with the Bengals, a team that has had its fair share of troubled players/convicts on the team over the last few years, will likely be the focus of most of the media outlets. While even I joke about the signing and say that its just the Bengals doing what the Bengals do, signing players with baggage, the focus should really be on the fact that the Bengals just picked up a huge piece of the defensive puzzle. Johnson will likely be a part of a three-player rotation at defensive tackle with Domata Peko and Pat Sims.

The style of defense that the Bengals defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer, runs fits Johnson perfectly. Zimmer, who is a former defensive coach with the Cowboys, will love having a big man who is athletic in the middle of his line. Johnson should be a force in the pass rush as Zimmer runs a very agressive 4-3 style which will allow him to shine and become the force up the middle the Bengals have been looking for for quite some time.

NFL cincinnati bengals, tank johnson, domata peko, pat sims, mike zimmer, dallas cowboys

Three years ago Mick Cronin was introduced as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats. It was thought by most that it would take him four or five season to get the team back to a respectable status. Here we are three years into his tenure and there has been semi-serious talk about the Bearcats making the "Big Dance." That would be a huge step in the right direction for Cronin and his boys after not even making the NIT tournament last season.

The Bearcats are 17-9 overall and 7-6 in the Big East, arguably the toughest conference in the country. After starting 0-3 in the conference, the 'Cats have won seven of their last ten. Three of their conference wins have come against two of the more respected teams in the conference, Notre Dame and twice over Georgetown. They beat Georgetown on the road which is not an easy task no matter how much the Hoyas have struggled this season. Of the Bearcats nine losses, all but two have come against teams currently ranked in the Top 25. The other two losses came against Providence, a team that could be considered as a bubble team to get into the tournament come mid-March.

The reason for the resurgence of the Bearcats is due to them finally gelling as a team. Early on in the season the Bearcats relied heavily on their top scorer, junior Deonta Vaughn (16.1 points per game). As he went, so did the team. If Vaughn went cold, the team struggled. If he was hot, the team was on fire. The maturation of freshman big-man and local talent, Yancey Gates, has made for a great inside-out game. Gates is averaging just over 10 points and 6 rebounds per game, but his emergence over the last few games has allowed the outside game to heat up even more with Dion Dixon and Larry Davis along with Vaughn. Throw in Mike Williams and you have a starting five that can play with almost any team in the Big East. Even better is that Cronin has another big man he can sub in for Gates if need be in Steve Toyloy and not miss a beat.

Before the season even started the Bearcats lost their highly touted freshman, Cashmere Wright. He was to be the man running the point, allowing Vaughn to get freed up even more and help with that outside game. Wright blew out his ACL in practice and thus had to miss the entire season. So the fact that they are having the success they are having sans Wright speaks a lot to the kind of coach Cronin is as well as how good his guys can be when they play as a team.

Can this team make the dance? It will all depend on how they play down the stretch. They started a tough stretch in their schedule last night when they took on Pittsburgh on the road. The 'Cats hung with the Panthers for a little while, even late into the second half, before PITT pulled away to take the win 85-69. That loss was somewhat expected, especially considering PITT is a top five team in the country and a team considered as being one that could make a run to the national title this year. What the Bearcats do from this point on could make or break their chances of making it into the NCAA tourney instead of the NIT.

They have a week off before they play Louisville at home. The rest of their schedule has them playing West Virginia, Syracuse, South Florida and ending the season at home against Seton Hall. Getting to 20 wins is the key. They need three wins to get there which means they will have to pull off an upset against either Louisville, West Viriginia or Syracuse, which is very possible. Making it to 20 wins and then winning a game or two in the Big East conference tournament will undoubtedly put them right there for consideration into the tournament.

Even if this team doesn't make it into the NCAA tourney, this has been a season that fans can be happy about because they weren't supposed to be here just yet. Cronin has turned this program back around quicker than anyone though he could. That makes for a very exciting end to this season and for something to look forward to next year.

College Hoops cincinnati bearcats, mick cronin, deonta vaughn, yancey gates, dion dixon, larry davis, mike williams, steve toyloy, cashmere wright, big east

There have been a lot of great catches in college football this year. The catch by North Carolina wide receiver, Hakeem Nicks, against West Virginia in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on Saturday may be the best of them all. There's no doubt this guy will be a first day draft pick come April and will be a factor on Sundays for whatever team selects him. In case you missed it, here's the amazing catch below.

College Football hakeem nicks, north carolina, west virginia, meineke car care bowl

The bowl games finally start this weekend. Fellow GetSportsInfo.com writer, Jeremy Fischer, and myself have put together our picks including how confident we are in them. In case you've never done a pick 'em game like this before, here's how it works. In addition to picking who you think will win the game, you assign a number to that pick as to how confident you think that pick is going to be right. There are 34 bowl games this year (way too many in most people's opinion, but that's beside the point), so the max number of confidence points you can give to one game is, yep, you guessed it, 34. The game you are least confident in you assign one point too, and fill in everything in between.

A lot of office pools are done like this and make it much more challenging than simply picking a winner for each game. As J-Fish states when it comes to doing a pick 'em game like this, "I have seen many strategies and I prefer the one that calls for using the higher confidence points on the bigger BCS games." He goes on to give his reasons as to why.

"Right or wrong, the larger conference teams get more coverage. The more information that is out there, the better informed pick you can make. The more informed you are, the more confident you'll be about a particular selection." Makes sense right? So picking the BCS bowl games really isn't as difficult as picking some of the more obscure games like the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl between Southern Mississippi and Troy that provide more difficulty in not only picking who will win, but deciding how confident you are in that pick.

J-Fish goes on to say, "Unless you fancy yourself as the next Jimmy the Greek, don't over analyze. The amount of games will definitely lead to paralysis-by-analysis." In my opinion, when it comes to picking some of the lower level bowl games, its almost more of a gut feeling when making that selection than anything else.

With all that said, let's get to the picks. What you'll find below is the bowl schedule starting with the first game on the docket all the way to the National Championship game on January 8th. With each pick you'll see both J-Fish's pick as well as my own with a little bit of analysis and how many confidence points (#) we have assigned to the pick we've made. Let's get to it with a look at the BCS games.

January 1st
ROSE - Penn State vs. USC
JFISH: USC (34) - Too much defense.
DICO: USC (32) - Too much USC! PSU hasn't seen anything like the Trojans this year. Ask OSU how things worked out for them. Plus this is a "home game" for the Trojans.

FEDEX ORANGE - Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
JFISH: Cincinnati (22) - 1st BCS bowl berth will drive the Bearcats.
DICO: Cincinnati (10) - Special teams could be the difference in this game. Mardy Gilyard for the Bearcats is one of the best in the country in the return game. A chance to finish the season in the Top 10 will push the Bearcats to a win.

January 2nd
ALLSTATE SUGAR - Utah vs. Alabama
JFISH: Alabama (32) - Utah hasn't faced a defense like this.
DICO: Alabama (33) - See JFISH's comments...the Utes will have a hard time stopping the 'Bama offense as well.

January 5th
TOSTITOS FIESTA - Ohio State vs. Texas
JFISH: Texas (33) - Too much speed on defense, and the Horns will be playing angry because of the whole BIG XII, BCS screw job.
DICO: Texas (31) - QB Colt McCoy will be too much even for a good Buckeyes' defense. Terrelle Pryor will see what team speed on defense is all about against the Longhorns.

January 8th
FEDEX BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP - Florida vs. Oklahoma
JFISH: Florida (26) - Tebow/Harvin will find a way.
DICO: Oklahoma (22) - Bradford leads the most potent offense in the country. Even with the loss of DeMarco Murray at RB, the Sooners won't miss a beat. Expect a high scoring affair.

COMPLETE PICKS (ALL 34 GAMES) 

College Football college bowl game pick 'em, bcs, national title, wake forest, navy, colorado state, fresno state, memphis, south florida, byu, arizona, southern miss, troy, boise state, tcu, hawaii, notre dame, florida atlantic, central michigan, west virginia, north carolina, wisconsin, florida state, miami (fl), california, northern illinois, louisiana tech, nc state, rutgers, missouri, northwestern, maryland, nevada, western michigan, rice, oklahoma state, oregon, houston, air force, oregon state, pittsburgh, boston college, vanderbilt, kansas, minnesota, lsu, georgia tech, south carolina, iowa, georgia, michigan state, nebraska, clemson, penn state, usc, cincinnati, virginia tech, ole miss, texas tech, kentucky, east carolina, utah, alabama, buffalo, connecticut, ohio state, texas, ball state, tulsa, florida, oklahoma, butch davis, pat white, noel divine, jahvid best, chase daniel, lesean mccoy, jacquizz rogers, shonn greene, javon ringer, knowshon moreno, matt stafford, mardy gilyard, graham harrell, michael crabtree, colt mccoy, terrelle pryor, tim tebow, percy harvin, sam bradford, demarco murray

It was made official yesterday that the Cincinnati Bearcats (11-2) are headed to Miami, FL to play in the Orange Bowl against the winners of the ACC, the Virginia Tech Hokies (9-4). The No. 12 ranked and BIG EAST champion Bearcats will play in their first BCS Bowl game and with a win, could end up finishing in the top 10 in the rankings.

Its been a great season for the Bearcats, capped off by a come from behind 29-24 victory over Hawai'i Saturday night. No team in college football has had as many issues when it comes to the quarterback position this season than the Bearcats. Dustin Grutza started the season and looked like he was going to fill in very nicely for Ben Mauk who was denied a sixth year of eligibility. Unfortunately in the second game of the season against Oklahoma, Grutza broke his leg. In stepped Tony Pike who was playing well until he broke his non-throwing arm in the Akron game.

It was up to the redshirt freshmen Zach Collaros and Chazz Anderson to take over with Grutza and Pike out. Anderson played respectably until Pike was able to return in the UCONN game. Pike was able to get back into a rhythm after having to step out early in the UCONN game. From that point on, he held down the fort at the quarterback position. He didn't play great in the Bearcats' last game against Hawai'i, but I would attribute that to fatigue as well as him still recovering from his injury. Pike finished the regular season throwing 2,168 yards and 18 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He led the BIG EAST in passing efficiency with a rating of 141.07.

Pike's success is a great story for the Bearcats this season. It helped that he had a great wide receiver duo to throw to in Mardy Gilyard and Dominick Goodman. The two receivers gave defenses two different styles to have to contend with. Gilyard is the speed receiver that could blow by a defender and be in the open field before a defensive back has the chance to react. Goodman, Pike's favorite target, is the possession receiver. Pike could get the ball to him in a small window with the confidence that Goody would catch the ball and not let it go. Goodman is also a great route runner with helped in the trust factor with Pike that he knew if he threw the ball to a spot on the field, Goodman would be there.

The Bearcats' defense was led by Connor Barwin's BIG EAST leading 11 sacks. Barwin transitioned amazingly from playing tight end last season to defensive end this year. He was also a presence on special teams with three blocked punts. Defensive back Mike Mickens made a big impact this season for the Bearcats as well before getting injured and missing the last two games of the season. He finished the regular season with four interceptions and should be ready to go for the Orange Bowl game. In addition to Barwin and Mickens, the leading tackler (74) on the defense, Ryan Manalac, seemed to be involved on almost every play this year.

The Bearcats had the best season in the history of the school. The eleven wins they have is a school record. It is the first time the team has won 10 games in back-to-back seasons. They averaged almost 32,000 in attendance per game, a school record. Now comes the biggest and most important piece of the puzzle for this season, the Orange Bowl game on January 1st. A win in this BCS Bowl game would propel the team to heights they've never reached and would be a great tool when it comes to recruiting for next season and for seasons to come.

A full pregame write up for the Orange Bowl game is forthcoming when we get a little closer to the actual game. For now, enjoy the spotlight Bearcats! You deserve it. Party on South Beach, here we come!

College Football cincinnati bearcats, virginia tech hokies, orange bowl, bcs, big east, ben mauk, dustin grutza, tony pike, zach collaros, chazz anderson, mardy gilyard, dominick goodman, connor barwin, mike mickens, ryan manalac

The Cincinnati Bearcats (10-2) will play the last game of the regular season in all of college football this weekend when they travel to take on the Hawaii Warriors (7-5).  The last time these two teams met was back in 2003 when the Warriors stole a win 20-19. It was a very controversial game with the referees playing a big role in the outcome with bad calls all over the place. The game actually ended with the teams getting into a fight because of how the game went. Its hard to believe its been five years since that game.

The Bearcats officially won the BIG EAST last week and are headed to a BCS bowl game for the first time in the program's history regardless of the outcome of the game this weekend. They have won 10 game in back-to-back seasons for the first time in the school's history and are currently ranked No. 13 in the AP poll as well as in the BCS rankings. Its likely that the team will head to the Orange Bowl in Miami on January 1st. They will find out for sure on Sunday during the bowl selection show.

The Warriors have had a lot of success recently, but this season has not gone nearly as well. With Colt Brennan gone, the Warriors have struggled to find that explosive offense they have come accustomed to. First year coach Greg McMackin has lead the team to a 7-5 mark after the team went 12-1 last season and won the WAC and went on to play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The Warriors will ironically enough, play in the Hawaii Bowl.

The Cincinnati defense has stepped up their game over the last few games. The team as a whole has 27 sacks in their last eight games after having just four in the first four games. Their led by Connor Barwin who leads the BIG EAST with 10 sacks, which ranks him tied for seventh in the country. The defense will have to shut down quarterback Greg Alexander who is coming off his best game of the season against Washington State where he threw for 315 yards and two scores. The Bearcats' have shut down opposing quarterbacks as of late and shutting down Alexander will put the Warriors in a big bind with them not having much of a rushing attack.

The Cincinnati offense has been lighting up the scoreboard both with their scores as well as racking up the yards. Quarterback Tony Pike heads up the charge for the BIG EAST leading passing offense that averages 260 yards per game. The Bearcats also lead the BIG EAST in passing efficiency with a rating of 140.6. Pike has bounced back from breaking his non-throwing arm earlier in the season to provide some stability at the position that turned into a carousel ride with injuries and projects. Pike's success has come because of the spread offense that head coach Brian Kelly runs and because he has two receivers that will likely both be named to the First Team All Big East at the end of the season, Mardy Gilyard and Dominick Goodman.

This game doesn't mean much to either team. A win by the Bearcats will set a record for wins in a season by the program. That alone could drive the Bearcats to play just as they have all season long. Under Kelly, one wouldn't expect them to go out and just think of this as a vacation. Its been a great season for the Bearcats that will be capped off in a BCS bowl game. The game kicks off at 11:30 PM EST on ESPN2.

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Even before taking the field Saturday afternoon, the Cincinnati Bearcats (10-2, 6-1) knew they were champs of the BIG EAST thanks to Pittsburgh knocking off West Virginia the day before. This is the first BIG EAST title for the Bearcats which will allow them to play in a BCS Bowl game. That bowl game will either be the Orange or Sugar Bowl.

Though their game against Syracuse (3-9, 1-6) didn't matter as far as the BIG EAST title went, the Bearcats still came out and played as though it did, winning 30-10. The defense played hard and swarmed to the ball, holding the Orange quarterback, Cam Dantley, to just five yards passing going into the fourth quarter. Dantley would finish the game goinng an abysmal 6-of-23 for 59 yards, one interception and three sacks.

The Bearcats' offense kept their foot on the gas as well as quarterback Tony Pike took advantage of a defense that left a lot of cushion. Pike hit his receivers with short passes and a lot of screens that went for big yards at times. He ended the game 28-of-44 for 272 yards.

After every score for the Bearcats, oranges were hurled onto the field. Everytime it happened the public address announcer would tell fans to not throw anything of the field because the Bearcats could get penalized. That didn't stop fans from doing it though, actually it just encouraged them to do it more, mostly coming from the student section. The Bearcats didn't need any help getting penalized, however. They were hit with 10 penalties for 107 yards, something that has become a common theme for this team.

Penalties aside, this team has played well all season. They've had to overcome an early season carousel of quarterbacks after Dustin Grutza broke his leg in the second game and then Pike broke his non-throwing arm in the fourth game. In total, the Bearcats used five different quarterbacks throughout the season with redshirt freshmen, Chazz Anderson and Zach Callaros getting playing time. Notre Dame transfer Demetrius Jones got in for one play in the Louisville game as well.

The passing offense has been the most prolific in the BIG EAST regardless of who was taking snaps. That speaks to the great receivers on the team, most notably Dominick Goodman and Mardy Gilyard. The defense has played well this season too, led by Conner Barwin who leads the BIG EAST in sacks.

One welcome sight from Saturday's game was kicker Jake Rogers connecting on all three of his field goal attempts. Prior to the Syracuse game, Rogers had missed five straight tries. He connected from 45, 38 and 45 again on Saturday. Earlier in the season Rogers was being considered as an All-American candidate at his position. The five straight misses may have hurt his chances at that, but seeing him hit his attempts on Saturday is a good sign going into the final game of the season and into whatever bowl game the Bearcats are invited to.

Its been an amazing season. The Bearcats, under second year head coach Brian Kelly, have now won 10 games in back-to-back season. Kelly has taken this team from obscurity and as a bottom feeder in the BIG EAST to champs of the conference. When asked if he's done all he can in Cincinnati, Kelly responded saying, "There's so much more to accomplish. We averaged around 31,000 fans; we need to see 35,000. We can show that not only do we play for BIG EAST championships, we now want to get into the conversation for the national championship." With the recruiting going on in Cincinnati, that idea is becoming more and more of a possibility.

The Bearcats have one game left on the schedule. They travel to play Hawaii Saturday night. They will learn their BCS bowl fate come Sunday evening. All indications are pointing to the Orange Bowl, but the Sugar Bowl is a possibility as well. They would end up taking on the winner of the ACC most likely, which would either be Boston College or Virginia Tech.

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The No. 16 Cincinnati Bearcats (9-2, 5-1) are on the verge of winning their first BIG EAST Conference title. They can do so with a win over the Syracuse Orange (3-8, 1-5) this Saturday or if Pittsburgh beats West Virginia Friday afternoon. Both the Bearcats and the Orange are coming off big wins with Cincinnati beating PITT for the first time ever and Syracuse upsetting Notre Dame in South Bend. On paper Syracuse shouldn't stand a chance this weekend, but crazier things have happened.

The series between these two teams is tied 4-4, with the Bearcats winning the last three including a 52-31 thrashing last year in Syracuse. No game in this series could end up being more important than the one this weekend. Cincinnati could very well be playing for the conference title should WVU beat PITT. Syracuse is playing for both pride and for their head coach, Greg Robinson, who will coach his final game for the Orange Saturday afternoon.

The Bearcats have been led by the strong quarterback play of Tony Pike over the last few games. Pike had a career day against PITT last weekend going 26-for-32 for 309 yards and three touchdowns. His solid play has made many forget the fact that he broke his non-throwing arm earlier in the season and missed a couple games. He leads an offense that ranks first in the BIG EAST in passing yards per game (258.9) and passing efficiency (142.4). Best of all, he showed in the PITT game that he's not afraid to take a hit on that broken arm that's being held together with a plate an six screws. He has also showed some mobility in the last couple games, scrambling out of the pocket to make plays either with his arm or his feet. Pike is mixing the ball around well, but his two favorite targets are still his big playmakers in Mardy Gilyard and Dominick Goodman, both of which were on the receiving end of a score this past week.

The Bearcats' defense has had a stretch of tough games in the last month or so, but they have risen to the challenge and shut down big name players like Pat White, Noel Divine, and even LeSean McCoy last week. The defense is led by defensive end, Connor Barwin, who leads the BIG EAST with 10 sacks and ranks seventh in the country in that category. Unfortunately the defense will be without their biggest playmaker, Mike Mickens, for a second straight game. He will be out the rest of the regular season after having knee surgery earlier this week.

Syracuse has had a really rough go of it this year. Their three wins have come against Notheastern, Louisville and Notre Dame, none of which are really anything to brag about considering the seasons those teams are having. Running back Curtis Brinkley leads the Orange offense. Without him, there really wouldn't be much offense. The team as a whole is only averaging 275.5 yards of offense and less than 19 points per game. Compare that to Cincinnati's 376.8 yards and almost 27 points per game, and you can see why Syracuse is having such a bad season. In addition to the offense not putting up very good numbers, the defense has struggled as well giving up almost 33 points per game. Unfortunately for coach Robinnson, all these numbers combined with a bad last few seasons led to his demise at the school.

It will be senior day down at Nippert Stadium this weekend. Look for senior quarterback Dustin Grutza to get some play time, possibly early on if Cincinnati can jump out to a big lead. Another way Grutza may get a lot of playing time this weekend is if PITT beats WVU Friday. If that happens, this game will be just a formality for the Bearcats.

The winner of the BIG EAST will likely go to the Orange Bowl, but there is a chance that they go to the Sugar Bowl as well. It would be fitting and ironic if the game this weekend ended up mattering and the Bearcats beat the Orange to go earn a trip to the Orange Bowl.

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