Cincinnati Football: Bearcats jump back into rankings after Nipp at Night win

After taking down East Carolina 27-25 on Friday at Nippert Stadium, the Bearcats have returned to both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll with an 8-2 record and 5-1 conference record.

Luke Fickell’s team is currently ranked 22nd in the AP Poll and 21st in the Coaches Poll following a win over the rival Pirates. Cincinnati is looking to finish the season ranked for a fifth consecutive year.

Even though the Bearcats are unlikely to finish this season in the top-10 like they have each of the last two years, it’s still possible to secure a third straight AAC championship and remain in the rankings.

Alongside Tulane and UCF, the Bearcats are tied for first place in the conference standings with a 5-1 record. Cincinnati is set to face Tulane in the regular season finale on November 25 at Nippert Stadium.

Cincinnati Football: Bearcats jump back into rankings after Nipp at Night win

Following the Nipp at Night win versus East Carolina, the Bearcats will head to Philadelphia for a matchup against Temple. The Owls are tied for ninth place in the conference with a 1-5 record.

Cincinnati should be able to handle Temple and set up a must-see matchup against Tulane with an AAC championship game berth on the line. UCF will likely host the title game in Orlando on December 3.

During a press conference today, Fickell discussed the win over East Carolina via Cincinnati Athletics.

"“Last week was a crazy one for us. It was great to have a Friday night game. The great thing about Friday started with the atmosphere and environment the student body and community created. It was one of those games that we really needed it to. It wasn’t the sharpest that we played all year, especially when the energy and momentum shifted, we kind of relied on the atmosphere to bring us back and find a way to win. That was a really great night in a sense that we found another way to win a football game. We move on now and have to change the whole mindset going on the road. Every one of these is critical down the stretch.”"