The Cincinnati Bearcats had their best football season in school history this past year, going 9-0 and finishing No. 8 in the College Football Playoff rankings. On Friday they take on the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs, who will be missing their fair share of star players due to opt outs and injuries.
The Dawgs are a seven point favorite right now (odds are courtesy BetMGM) but the Bearcats are hungry to prove the committee wrong and gain some national attention and respect with a big win.
Cincinnati won three games against teams in the FBS top-25 this season and zero against top-15 teams. Although they didn’t have the toughest schedule, they won seven out of their nine games by two or more touchdowns. They beat UCF by three points, as well as Tulsa in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game.
Bearcats junior quarterback Desmond Ridder is having a great year, throwing for 2,090 yards, 17 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He has also rushed for another 609 yards and 12 touchdowns to go on top of that. His rating in his third season has vastly improved, providing much more efficient play through just nine games.
Cincy’s leading rusher is senior running back Gerrid Doaks. Doaks is having a career season, rushing for 673 yards and 7 touchdowns on 144 carries. He also has 202 yards receiving and 2 receiving touchdowns, providing the Bearcats with another dual-threat weapon on offense.
Cincinnati’s defense is playing exceptionally well in 2020, ranking 7th in scoring defense and allowing opposing offenses just 16 points per game. They are 18th defending the run and 20th defending the passing game. That puts them at 8th in total defense, letting up 310.8 yards per game.
One of their biggest weaknesses is themselves. Cincinnati is averaging 8.6 penalties per game, taking a 76.4 yard per game hit. They rank 119th nationally in that category, one of the FBS’s worst.
Here’s how the Bearcats did against their opponents in 2020:
- vs Austin Peay – W, 55 – 20
- vs No. 22 Army – W, 24 – 10
- vs USF – W, 28 – 7
- @ Tulsa – Postponed
- @ No. 16 SMU – W, 42 – 13
- vs Memphis – W, 49 – 10
- vs Houston – W, 38 – 10
- vs East Carolina – W, 55 – 17
- @ UCF – W, 36 – 33
- @Temple – Canceled
- @ No. 24 Tulsa – Canceled
- vs No. 23 Tulsa – W, 27 – 24
The 2021 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl kicks off Friday, New Years Day, at 12:00 P.M. ET. National coverage will be provided by ESPN.
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