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Bearcat News
Big East position rankings: Linebackers - Big East Blog - ESPN
We all know how UC's linebackers aren't exactly stellar, but I'm not sure if they're last in the league. Who came in at 7th? Syracuse, who lost two of their starting LBs and the remaining starter is moving to MLB for the first time. So based on that logic, UC's JK Shaffer and Maalik Bomar (two 3rd year starters) along with whoever fills in at the third linebacker spot (Temple, Blair, Pooler, etc.) are worse than a Syracuse linebacking corp with countless question marks. Yep, makes sense to me!
Miami (OH) extends Home-and-home Football Series with Cincinnati & Marshall
Looks like the Victory Bell series will continue through 2018 at least. Did anyone really think Cincinnati was going to cut off my Redhawks just because UC was in a BCS conference and has dominated Miami for the past 5 years? This is one of the longest rivalry games in all of college football and, if anything, provides a solid warm up game for the Bearcats heading into Big East play. The one change I'm not in total disagreement with is moving the game away from a home-and-home series to at least 2-1, in that Miami travels down to Nippert twice as much as the Bearcats go to Yager Stadium. That makes sense as Cincinnati fans have been dominating Oxford the past couple of years and that trend doesn't look like it is going to stop anytime soon.
SLAM ONLINE | » Next in Line - Shaq Thomas
Just an inspirational story about Shaq Thomas's rough childhood and how he embraced basketball as a tool to calm and comfort him. This Jump Off really doesn't do the interview justice. One thing's for sure, he will be welcomed into the Bearcat basketball family with open arms. Hell, with all of the hype around his basketball skills alone, most of us have already done just that. Beyond his impact on the court, Shaq will be a great representative of Cincinnati and could easily become a fan favorite this fall as he will see some playing time as a true freshman. Glad to have you, Shaq!
Recruiting
BearcatReport.com - Cincinnati leads for 2013 RB
UC's recruiting of Warren Central just doesn't stop. Most recently, the Bearcats have put 2013 RB/TE Marcus Evans in their crosshairs. While UC-bound Deionte Buckley will be RB-1 this fall, Marcus will probably see some playing time because of Warren Central's ground-pound offense. Deionte will need rest at some point and Marcus will be given the rock to spell him. UC has quite a few people influencing Marcus in his decision. Obviously the coaches will be on him constantly, but already four of his teammates have verballed to Cincinnati. On top of that, former Bearcat Dorian Davis played for UC and is probably in his ear quite a bit.
Around the BEast
The Ten Games That Will Determine the Big East in 2011 - #1 Pittsburgh at West Virginia - Big East Coast Bias#
As you probably guessed, the Backyard Brawl finished #1 on the games that will determine the Big East next year. For the record WVU-USF, which came it at #2 should have been bumped up to the top spot because the game will actually determine the Big East title in 2011 most likely. The Backyard Brawl has the bad blood and the history, but the game simply won't determine the Big East champ in 2011. This is mainly because I think Pitt is going to have a whale of time adjusting to Todd Graham's spread offense with all of those players the Stache brought in for his traditional pro-style attack. This is going to be a down year for the Panthers who I think will get rolled by the Mountaineers.
Around the Nation
NCAA could see 'fundamental changes' in way it operates - USATODAY.com
Seriously. The NCAA is a joke of an organization that doesn't even know how to enforce it's own rules. Idiotic ineligibility rulings aside (Kenbrell Thompkins, Vidal Hazelton, Dyjuan Lewis), the NCAA is continuously criticized for its inconsistent rulings, confusing standards, and outright hypocracy. The running joke surrounding the O$U investigations is that Cleveland St. is about to get the Death Penalty, implying that the NCAA protects its money makers but punishes the little guys to no end (UC included). The adminstrators can do all the talking they want about how they don't care about the money but the organization's actions speak far loud than words and their credibility is plummeting.