Well, the Cincinnati Bearcats get to kick off the 2009 season and defend their Big East championship right off the bat. Literally.

UC heads to Rutgers Stadium opening week – a place that UC holds a 1-6 record.

So this is not the most ideal situation for the Bearcats to be in. To start the Big East schedule so early in the season. At a place they struggle.

A lesser opponent for Coach Brian Kelly to get a feel for his team against, like for instance Eastern Kentucky (last year’s opening week foe), would’ve been the ideal situation.

And this whole scheduling circumstance is so ironic because the Bearcats were the last BCS conference team to start conference play last year.

But what the heck?

ESPN is very happy to showcase this game on Labor Day.

And the UC football program will receive some nice exposure from the national audience that will have their eyes set upon this match-up following a little cookout time.

And I for one am looking forward to this season.

UC has a great shot to repeat as conference champions when you take into consideration its offensive talent.

Moreover, the Big East is wide open with no real dominant team.

And third, UC sure has the right coach to repeat.

Let’s just call him Mr. Big East Coach of the Year. 2007 and 2008.

BEARCAT OFENSE VS. SCARLET KNIGHT DEFENSE

Enough cannot be said about the return of Bearcat quarterback Tony Pike.

He didn’t play every snap last year due to injury, but during his time behind center, he passed for 2,407 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Granted Pike stays healthy, those numbers will inflate quite significantly this year.

And with almost a year of experience under his belt, Pike certainly brings continuity to the UC offense.

That’s a huge deal because Kelly has never had a returning starting quarterback at UC.

And that’s just the beginning of what will be a very explosive Bearcat offense.

Mardy Gilyard, Armon Binns and D.J. Woods at wideout and Ben Guidugli at tight end give Pike more than enough targets to throw to.

The offensive line is very strong on the left side and we’ll probably see three Bearcat running backs utilized against Rutgers.

Of the Rutgers defenders to watch out for, defensive end George Johnson is definitely one. He had 10 tackles for a loss last year, a couple of sacks and an interception.

The Bearcat offensive line must make sure he doesn’t put any pressure on Pike.

ADVANTAGE: CINCINNATI

 

BEARCATS DEFENSE VS. RUTGERS OFFENSE

The No. 1 priority for this year’s Bearcat defense is to not panic.

Yes, the unit lost 10 seniors. Yes, they were all very talented and good defenders. And ye, UC has just one returning starter on D’ in Aaron Webster at safety.

But there is without question no reason to be frightened as several very good football players are poised to fill the void.

Andre Revels and Demetrious Jones at linebacker. Curtis Young and Alex Daniels on the line. All of these guys are prepared and ready to step up.

At defensive back you have guys that have experience in Dominique Battle, Drew Frey and Brad Jones.

Along with Webster the secondary, they should be very solid.

Are they going to be a seasoned group with all the preseason hype as the secondary last year with Mike Mickens and Co.? Obviously no.

But it is not a panic situation at all.

Now Rutgers will come into the season without quarterback Mike Teel and wideouts Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood. All are gone to the NFL.

Domenic Natale is a good bet to replace Teel, but certainly don’t rule out true freshman Tom Savage. The bottom line is that there is no surefire No. 1 quarterback at Rutgers and that doesn’t bode well for them at all in this game.

ADVANTAGE: EVEN

SPECIAL TEAMS

All-American punter Kevin Huber will for sure be missed on the UC special teams.

But don’t fret as Jake Rogers has become Mr. Do-It-All for the Bearcats.

He’s kicking off, placekicking and now he’s even handling the punting duties.

It’s no small task to replace the likes of Huber, but Rogers has been focused in camp and he’s ready for the job and hand. He’s going to be an even better placekicker considering how focused he’s become due to the added pressure that’s been placed upon him.

And don’t forget about Mardy Gilyard on kickoff returns.

He’s a flat-out game changer and he’ll provide an already explosive Bearcat offense with a huge field position advantage every time he returns a kick.

SLIGHT ADVANTAGE: CINCINNATI

INTANGI BLES

UC is riding heavily on the emotion of its Big East championship and will be geared up to defend their title right away. They’ll be especially focused on the road and in a place they haven’t fared well in the past.

ADVANTAGE: CINCINNATI

 

THE WAY TOM SEES IT

No disrespect to Rutgers Coach Greg Schiano, but Brian Kelly is the best coach in the conference.

To make a long story short, the Bearcats will show up more than ready for this one.

This will be a close game all the way into the fourth quarter.

But the fresh faces on the UC defense will start to gel late and hold onto the lead the offense will establish by halftime.

CINCINATI 27-17