Cincinnati Bearcats still have football bowl hopes, despite 3-7 record

Yes, they still could go to a bowl game.

Odds are slim, but the University of Cincinnati football team (3-7, 1-5 American Athletic Conference East) could reach a bowl by winning their final two games of the regular season.

"That's part of our thought, but we just want to finish these games," UC senior linebacker Jaylyin Minor said Tuesday. "If it comes up, it comes up. We'll be prepared for it and play whatever bowl they give us."

First up is East Carolina (2-8, 1-5 AAC East) on Saturday at noon at ECU. The regular season ends against UConn (3-7, 2-5 AAC East) on Saturday, Nov. 25 at UC (time TBA).

UC is a 3-point favorite over ECU. The Bearcats have a 61.7 chance of beating the Pirates, according to the ESPN FPI (Football Power Index). The ESPN FPI also gives UC a 76.2 percent chance of beating UConn.

If UC finishes 5-7, the Bearcats still could reach a bowl depending on their APR (Academic Progress Rate) status. The NCAA Division I council agreed two years ago to fill the bowls with five-win teams if necessary, because sometimes not enough teams meet the standard bowl-eligibility requirements, including six wins.

"I don't think we've talked about it a whole lot," UC coach Luke Fickell said, speaking Tuesday at his weekly media luncheon. "If we can get this one this week, then we'll probably have a little bit more to talk about. But it's not out of the question, not at all."

Last season, 25 percent of bowl participants (20 teams) did not have a winning record. There are 39 bowl games this year, leading up to the national title game.

Regardless, UC will finish with its first back-to-back losing seasons since 1998 (2-9) and 1999 (3-8). The Bearcats went 4-8 last year in their final year under coach Tommy Tuberville, with Fickell taking over this season.

Fickell said the goal is just to win two more this year, then assess where the program stands.

"I'm not focused on next year," Fickell said. "That's the tough part. I'm not going to lose confidence and our players aren't going to lose confidence. They know it's a process toward what we're doing. My most important thing is that this doesn't feel the same to them.

"We want to make sure (UC seniors) feel good about what it is that they're leaving. Is their energy out there, or does it continue to remind them of the past? Which, I hope every guy in our program that has been here, that there's nothing that reminds them of the last couple years. "

UC fans have some hope, noting that Fickell's 2018 recruiting class is ranked No. 2 in the AAC and No. 46 nationally.

"The fans may say, 'I don't see the W's,' " Fickell said. "Anything that's going to be worth something is probably going to take a little bit of time."

In the final months of the Tuberville regime, there was a perception that the head coach was not fully engaged. Minor did not name names, but said things are "way different" than at this time in 2016.

"The way we lost games in the past, it didn't hurt as much or didn't seem that we fought as hard throughout the whole game," Minor said. "The losses that we've taken all year, it's a different feeling and a different program. We fight harder, no matter what."

Minor said that Fickell still has the full attention of UC players.

"He's tried to do everything he could to make it the best season possible," Minor said. "It's not his fault at all. We're the guys on the field. We have to execute. They give us a game plan and prepare us as best we can. You can't put the blame on anybody."

DOAKS UPDATE: Top UC rusher Gerrid Doaks left last week's 35-24 loss to Temple with a shoulder injury. Redshirt freshman Doaks has rushed for 513 yards this year, with two touchdowns.

"We're going to take him a little bit slow this week," Doaks said. "He was out there practicing yesterday, but I don't think he took any shots. I would be surprised if he wasn't able to go (Saturday)."

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