Cincinnati Football: Bearcats are building for the long term
Schedule and predictions
| Week | Date | School | Opponent | |
| 1 | Sep 1, 2018 | Cincinnati | @ | UCLA |
| 2 | Sep 8, 2018 | Cincinnati | @ | Miami (Ohio) |
| 3 | Sep 15, 2018 | Cincinnati | vs. | Alabama A&M |
| 4 | Sep 22, 2018 | Cincinnati | vs. | Ohio |
| 5 | Sep 29, 2018 | Cincinnati | @ | UConn |
| 6 | Oct 6, 2018 | Cincinnati | vs. | Tulane |
| 7 | Oct 13, 2018 | Bye Week | ||
| 8 | Oct 20, 2018 | Cincinnati | @ | Temple |
| 9 | Oct 27, 2018 | Cincinnati | @ | SMU |
| 10 | Nov 3, 2018 | Cincinnati | vs. | Navy |
| 11 | Nov 10, 2018 | Cincinnati | vs. | USF |
| 12 | Nov 17, 2018 | Cincinnati | @ | UCF |
| 13 | Nov 23, 2018 | Cincinnati | vs. | East Carolina |
It feels like a foregone conclusion that Cincinnati will be better in 2018. How much they improve by will likely dictate whether or not they return to the postseason for the first time since 2015.
One thing is for sure – if the Bearcats are to go bowling this season, they’ll need to take advantage of a relatively soft schedule during the first half of the season. A season-opening roadtrip to UCLA seems too tall a task for a rebuilding squad, but each of the next five games – Miami (Ohio), Alabama A&M, Ohio, UConn, and Tulane – is winnable. If the Bearcats could manage a 4-1 record over that stretch, a bowl bid goes from possible to probable.
Something closer to 3-2 seems more likely, though, meaning Cincy will have to pull an upset or two against a tough October and November slate to return. With a squad this talented, though, that’s perfectly doable.
Prediction: 6-6
The AAC has been kind to talent-rich teams looking to break out of a slump in recent years. From 2014 to 2016, USF improved from 4-8 to11-2; from 2015 to 2017, UCF improved from 0-12 to 13-0.
Is such a dramatic turnaround in the cards for the Bearcats? It’s not impossible, but with the level of turnover on this squad and the big areas of concern (offensive line, secondary), it seems more reasonable to expect a gradual rise from Fickell’s bunch. With a soft bottom to the AAC East and a non-conference schedule featuring just one Power Five team, there are enough winnable games for the Bearcats to go bowling again even with modest improvement.
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If that does indeed happen, and Fickell keeps up his momentum on the recruiting trail, watch out for this team in 2019 and beyond. It may not be long before the Bearcats start contending for conference titles again.