August 24th Jump Off

The final five have been revealed in the Down the Drive Ring of Honor voting. You have until the season opener against Austin Peay to vote.

Also, if you want to receive Down the Drive updates through Facebook, don't forget to like us!

Training Camp

247 Sports Training Camp 8/22 - Some more photos for you to check out of training camp

SNEAK PEAK: 2011 Bearcats Football Kickoff Video - Go the the Austin Peay game to see the rest

DL Walter Stewart Talking About His Time at Camp Higher Ground - Walter Stewart looks huge. That's not good news for quarterbacks next season.

2011 Media Day - Looks like the Bearcats have new light-weight cleats to go along with the jerseys next season.

Training Camp 2011: Drew Frey Interview - If you didn't know it, this is Drew's 18th fall training camp.

Bearcats News

Collaros Ready for Final Season
Great story about Zach Collaros' transition from undefeated high school quarterback, to being an unknown number on the Bearcats roster, to being named team captain and offensive leader in his senior season at Cincinnati. 2010 didn't go how Zach or the rest of Bearcats country wanted and especially for him who hadn't lost a football game he started since before high school. I think he's grown a lot in a year understanding the Butch Jones offense, learning how to take both winning and losing the same way, and understanding how to become a leader. He has all the tools to be a great quarterback and the drive to get him there. I think Zach will fight for the top spot as the best quarterback in the Big East in 2011.

Linebackers: What's going on over there?
Paul Dehner takes a close look at the linebackers for 2011. The depth at the position is world's away from where it was last year but it isn't necessarily where they want to be. Schaffer and Bomar are locked as starters but there's still questions about who will play the 3rd linebacker spot (likely SAM) and who the backups will be. I agree with Paul that Ben Pooler (barring injury) will end up winning that job as he has tons of college-level experience and the body to play there as well. As far as the backups, I think it will be a fight between Solomon Tentman, Greg Blair, Nick Temple, and Corey Mason.

Practice report: Cincinnati - Big East Blog - ESPN
Pretty standard summary of UC's major concerns heading into the 2011 season. Kicker is sometimes overrated in football but being able to hit those clutch field goals and get SOME points on a drive as opposed to nothing is huge. The backup quarterback situation is also up for grabs but it looks like it'll come down to Munchie Legaux and Jordan Luallen. I sure hope either of these guys get tons of snaps in blowout games this year. For the offensive line, there seems to be a solid core of Hoffman, Hooey, and Maritinez and the biggest question right now is right guard. The battle is between Austen Bujnoch and Andre Cureton. Both are very capable of playing the position but they simply don't have much experience there, and that is invaluable when playing at the college level.

Reloaded Bearcats Look to Build on Last Season's Success - University of Cincinnati Official Athletics Site
Unknown to most people, Cincinnati actually boasts a very solid men's soccer team. I'm not much of a follower of soccer other than the World Cup (you can probably look to Matt for better soccer insight) but I'd love to see the Bearcats build a great program alongside the building of the football, basketball, and baseball teams. It's one of the fastest growing sports in the United States and Cincinnati can really set the bar at the college level by being a perennial powerhouse. That's the dream from this Bearcats fan anyways.

Around the BEast

Frogs O' War - For TCU Horned Frogs Fans
In preparation for TCU joining the Big East to start the 2012 season, a new SB Nation site has emerged to help keep you up-to-date on all your Horned Frog news. Welcome them with open arms or go over there and talk smack. Whatever. Just check out the new site!

Who the Heck is Pitt Playing: River City Rivalry Edition - Cardiac Hill
Cardiac Hill's look at the River City rivalry next season. Pitt has owned the series 8 - 2 but the recent wins for UC has occurred over the past three seasons. The tide could begin changing in this rivalry. Their prediction is a 35 - 17 Pitt win but I've said it before that a lot of people are overlooking how tough it is to transition from a pro-style, run first offense to the spread, especially when your entire team was brought into run the old system. Transition years are also tough just because you're change coaching styles, teaching styles, audibles, play calls, etc. I've got UC taking this game.

Around the Nation 

TMQ says money motivates losing on the cheap instead of paying up for wins - ESPN
Gregg Esterbrook's Tuesday Morning Quarterback focuses on the structure of NFL revenue streams and how teams can still make tons of profits even if the teams perform horribly on the football field. It all stems from this country's crack-like addiction to football as corporations, television deals, marketing agencies, and ticket holders pour millions of dollars into these owners' pockets. This is preaching to the choir if you're a Bengals fan as you've seen how Mike Brown cares more about his bottom line than the crooked numbers on the scoreboard.