Ohio State Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Cincinnati in Week 2

2 of 3

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND – DECEMBER 31: Members of the Cincinnati Bearcats celebrate following their 35-31 win over the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on December 31, 2018 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

2. The Bearcats will play their best game of the season

Cincinnati comes into this game with far more to prove than the Buckeyes. We know what Ohio State is already. The Buckeyes have a future Heisman candidate at quarterback, and are the favorites to win the Big Ten championship again. Their roster is littered with four and five-star recruits.

But there was a lot of buzz around the Cincinnati Bearcats program this season. They were bringing back so many players they lost to injury, and the young guys took full advantage of their opportunity to play. The Bearcats, however, didn’t do so well with their last opportunity on the big stage losing to UCF 38-13.

Head coach Luke Fickell doesn’t want to see that type of performance twice.

Then there’s the obvious: Ohio State head coach Luke Fickell played and coached at Ohio State. His brief stint has head coach of the Buckeyes didn’t go so well. There are 48 players on the Bearcats roster from the state of Ohio, many of which played with or against Buckeye players in high school. Most of them weren’t offered scholarships by Ohio State.

Even if Fickell is downplaying that aspect of this game, you better believe everyone in the Bearcats’ locker room wants to prove they belong on the same field as those four and five-star recruits. They will.

Home/Ohio State Buckeyes