College football witnessed history this year thanks to the University of Cincinnati. The Bearcats became the first Group of Five team to make the College Football Playoff when they finished 13-0 this year. They’ll face the top-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide on the biggest stage, and it gives the casual fan a chance to get to know all about this Bearcats squad.
Where is the University of Cincinnati located?
The University of Cincinnati is located in the city of Cincinnati in the southwestern corner of the state of Ohio. It has an enrollment of about 46,000, which is about 15% of the city’s population.
Ohio boasts quite a few Division I programs in the state, most notably Ohio State. The University of Cincinnati is nearly three hours southwest of Columbus, the capital of Ohio and home of the Buckeyes.
Information about Nippert Stadium
Cincinnati plays in Nippert Stadium, located in the middle of campus. The stadium’s maximum capacity is 40,000, and they filled it up frequently this season thanks to the team’s success.
The University of Cincinnati is one of the oldest programs in college football, starting play in 1885. Nippert Stadium was officially named after former Bearcats football player Jimmy Nippert in 1924 and had a seating capacity of 12,000 at the time.
Since then, the field lowered 12 feet. The Reed Shank Pavilion and a 31-foot high by 114-feet wide HD scoreboard were added and an $86 million renovation added a new press box, luxury boxes, and club seats.
Who is the University of Cincinnati’s head coach?
Luke Fickell coaches the University of Cincinnati. He’s currently in his fifth season as the Bearcats head coach. Fickell boasts a record of 48-14 in his tenure with the program.
Fickell played for Ohio State, making a school-record 50 consecutive starts at nose guard. After a short tenure in the NFL, he jumped right into coaching. He worked with Ohio State in multiple roles in 1999 and Akron from 2000-2001.
When Ohio State moved on from Jim Tressel, Fickell took over as interim head coach for the 2011 season. The Buckeyes hired Urban Meyer in 2012, but Fickell used that experience to land his current job in 2017.
How is Fickell still at the University of Cincinnati? Given his recent success (33 wins in the last three seasons), his name pops up with a ton of job openings. However, he’s waiting for the right one. Fickell appears to be here for the long run, with Marcus Freeman taking the Notre Dame job and Ryan Day settling in nicely at Ohio State.
Why is Cincinnati in the College Football Playoff?
Most importantly, the Bearcats deserve to be here. They play in the AAC, a conference that’s not a stranger to being left out. In 2017 and 2018, UCF went undefeated and never even sniffed the playoffs. Cincinnati wanted to change that this year and succeeded. Now, they can make more history if they win it all.
The Bearcats beat everyone on their schedule and won the AAC Championship Game. They also notched a win over the fifth-best team in the country in Notre Dame. A year full of upsets and chaos aided their quest to the playoff, with some traditional powers like Ohio State, the entire Big 12, and Pac-12 getting knocked off.
Once the season’s over, Cincinnati will send multiple players to the NFL, including a handful that could get drafted in the first or second round. Ahmad Gardner, Myjai Sanders, and Desmond Ridder balled out all year, and they’re ready to take it to another level. All three bring first-round NFL potential to the table too.
Why are they in the playoff? Because they deserve to be — no matter what anyone says.