The Cincinnati Bearcats have received eight votes in the preseason AP Poll that was released today and are ranked 33rd. This after being disrespected in the national laughing stock that is the Coaches Coaches’ Interns Poll, receiving just a single vote and being ranked 51st.
33rd is much more like it. Cincinnati returns the best offense in the AAC and one of the most potent wide receiver corps in the country. Third year head coach Tommy Tuberville has this program humming and should very much compete for the Access Bowl this season. Thankfully the AP voters see this.
UC is the only AAC team in the preseason poll and are just a few spots behind Boise State in the rankings. The next Group of Five teams to pop up are Northern Illinois and BYU at 39th with Western Kentucky rounding them out at 42nd. And that’s it. No Georgia Southern or Utah State ranked ahead of Cincinnati. Just Boise State, which makes sense.
As far as opponents on the Bearcats’ schedule, only BYU pops up on the list. The Miami (FL) Hurricanes and UCF Knights are absent from this poll, unlike in the Coaches Poll, further enforcing the fact that AP voters are actually looking at the teams they’re selecting rather than throwing darts at a board. Here’s the full shakeout of teams you’ll want to keep an eye on this season.
2015 Opponents
- BYU: T-39th (2 votes)
AAC Teams
- Not a one
Group of Five Teams
- Boise State: 23rd (240 votes)
- Northern Illinois: T-39th (2 votes)
- BYU: T-39th (2 votes)
- Western Kentucky: T-42nd (1 vote)