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Bearcat News
Cincy's Combo: Zach Collaros to D.J. Woods | cfi
The keys for Collaros and Woods next season is to not throw interceptions and not fumble, respectively. Collaros has a big arm and fits Coach Butch Jones's offense well (although I wish he had a couple more inches on him). Woods compliments Collaros well by being a speedster out of the slot and having great ability to find space in the defense. Having them both back in 2011 and playing in the same offense for a 2nd straight year should help Cincinnati put up tons of points next season.
Video: Impact player -- Cincinnati - Big East Blog - ESPN
Andrea Adelson says Dominique Battle will be UC's impact player next season. Unfortunately for Battle, his knee injury really set him back last season as 'green' DBs like Cam Cheatham and Adrian Witty got tons of playing time in his place. Not only has his injury slowed him down, but because of the experience Cheatham and Witty gained, they have probably passed him on the depth chart. I want to see Battle succeed as he will be a graduating senior but the deck is stacked against him this season.
Recruiting
Football's Akise Teague Named PNC Big 33 Football Classic MVP - University of Cincinnati Official Athletics Site
Teague might be the most underrated prospect from the 2011 class and I'm sure most colleges are kicking themselves for not offering him. He was dominant in high school but some of the criticism was that he was facing lesser competition. Well, when you're playing against the best in Pennsylvania and still putting up 182 total yards and 3 TDs on only 10 carries, you can pretty much put those questions to rest. Oh yea, and did I mention that he's going to be a Bearcat? Yea, he's going to be fun to watch next season.
BearcatReport.com - Safety gets news of UC offer
Vince Hunsicker has been hit the camp circuit hard over the past few weeks to show off his skills to college coaches. He has seemed to make a good impression at most camps and even earned an offer from Cincinnati. One of the things working in his favor is his impressive 3.65 GPA all in honors courses and could gain scholarship offers from Ivy League schools as well as the likes of Northwestern and Stanford. He claimed to really enjoy his visit to Clifton, citing the beautiful campus and the energy of the coaches, but I'd be curious to see how his recruitment shifts if he gets an offer from one of those previously mentioned schools.
Around the BEast
Big East title chances: Syracuse - Big East Blog - ESPN
Syracuse wasn't exactly a surprise team last season (at least to me) as Doug Marrone has done a great job restoring some of the pride in Syracuse that Greg Robinson stripped from them. They had a very successful season last year and relied on a strong running game and a stingy rush defense. I think the running game won't miss a beat behind a strong offensive line and another year of Ryan Nassib to help balance the offense. However, the defense is losing a lot of experience, especially at linebacker. It could be enough to hold them off from a bowl considering the Big East will be much better top-to-bottom in 2011.
Big East bowl schedule announced - Card Chronicle
Basically the only bowl that has changed this year is the Meineke Car Care Bowl to the Belk Bowl, but it is still in Charlotte and still the destination of the Big East's #3 team. Add to the fact that the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando is in the fold for the #2 team as well as the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in NYC, and the Big East has a pretty solid bowl lineup now. This in spite of getting the worst BCS bowl tie-in and having the Beef O'Brady's Bowl as an option for a Big East team. I'll be happy if UC gets to a bowl next season but I don't know how I'll feel see 'Beef O'Brady's' in the north endzone at Nippert.
Around the Nation
Athletic departments see surge financially in down economy - USATODAY.com
The amount of money in college athletics is astronomical. This is why you see so much under-the-table cash being thrown around to top recruits from programs like O$U, USC, and Tennessee. There's just so much money at stake, particularly from football programs, that millions of dollars could be made from having the best football players in those programs. It's worth the risk to football programs and millionaire football coaches to get those players on campus no matter what it takes.
Dogs that look like Tom Haverford
If you're a Parks and Rec. fan like me, this is for you. I think the title pretty much says it all.