Cincinnati Bearcats 2018 football: Preseason practice in Indiana starts Friday.

Tom Groeschen | Cincinnati Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption UC's Garrett Campbell reacts to 4th-place AAC East football prediction UC offensive lineman Garrett Campbell (St. Xavier HS) reacts to news that the Bearcats are picked to finish 4th in the AAC East football race.

Luke Fickell is not a big fan of preseason predictions. Yet, the second-year University of Cincinnati football coach knows where the Bearcats stand as 2018 preseason practice begins Friday.

UC, coming off of two consecutive 4-8 seasons, was picked to finish fourth in the six-team American Athletic Conference East Division in the league's preseason media poll.

"Not real high on them," Fickell said when asked about preseason polls. "At some point in time, at the right time, we will use it as a motivator. It's a great shot to you at first, but sometimes perception is reality."

Fickell and his staff are rebuilding with UC at its lowest point in nearly 20 years. The Bearcats are coming off their first two consecutive losing seasons since 1998 and 1999. With a lack of star power and multiple questions on both offense and defense, Athlon Sports also predicts UC will go 4-8 again this year and ranks UC No. 96 among the FBS schools.

"It’s not disrespect, it’s hey, we want to be better," Fickell said. "It’s a little bit of a shot to say where is this talent level? If Alabama is picked No. 1 in the country, does that mean they’re the best football team? No. That’s why you play."

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What can UC fans expect or hope for in 2018? While another 4-8 would obviously be a downer, the ESPN FPI (Football Power Index) is more optimistic, predicting UC will win between 5.9 and 6.2 games. That would round off to a 6-6 season, which would mean UC's first bowl appearance since 2015. ESPN ranks UC No. 92 nationally.

UC returns 13 starters (five offense, seven defense, and 2017 first-team All-AAC punter James Smith).

UC is the only AAC team to return its leading rusher (sophomore Gerrid Doaks), passer (senior Hayden Moore) and receiver (senior Kahlil Lewis). Doaks rushed for 513 yards and two touchdowns last year. Moore threw for 2,562 yards with 20 TDs and nine interceptions. Lewis caught 61 passes for 676 yards and seven TDs.

Defensively, standout senior tackles Cortez Broughton and Marquise Copeland are proven producers. The top returning tackler is junior outside linebacker Perry Young, who had 101 stops last year.

Besides sophomore punter Smith, who helped UC rank 15th nationally with a 41.0-yard net average, both the offense and defense were well below par last year. UC ranked 111th nationally in scoring offense (20.9 ppg) and 93rd in scoring defense (31.8 ppg).

There have been tweaks to the coaching staff. Former UC standout quarterback Gino Guidugli is now coaching the quarterbacks, after joining the staff as running backs coach in 2017. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock retains that post but now will coach tight ends after handling quarterbacks last season.

Brian Mason, who served as UC director of recruiting 2017, has been promoted to coach special teams and the sniper position, a hybrid linebacker/safety. Steve Stripling, a UC assistant under Butch Jones from 2010-12, returns from Jones' former Tennessee staff to coach the defensive line. Mike Mickens, the UC career leader in interceptions (14), arrives to coach cornerbacks after four years coaching corners at Bowling Green.

Concerns include the offensive line, which returns only two starters in senior left guard Garrett Campbell (St. Xavier High School) and senior right tackle Kyle Trout.

Defensively, UC produced only 12 sacks and five interceptions last year. The placekicking has been erratic for two years, with freshman Cole Smith (Middletown HS) a top contender for the job. Special teams coverage and returns have also been an issue, including no special teams returns for touchdowns since 2011.

Some UC fans believe that former coach Tommy Tuberville (29-22 record from 2013-16) set the program back a few years, bottoming out with the infamous, "Go to hell! Get a job!" rejoinder from Tuberville to a heckling postgame fan. Tuberville was 62 years old by the time his UC tenure ended, and some wondered about his long-term commitment as things went on.

Fickell, 19 years younger than Tuberville, likes living in Cincinnati with his wife and six children and is hopeful for a long stay.

"We never know what is gonna come," Fickell said. "You just want to get your program, your culture, the things you want to do like they did in 2009 (12-0 regular season). Put yourselves on a national stage and play for meaningful championships at the end of the year."

SCHEDULE CHANGE: UC was to have its first three workouts Friday-Sunday on campus, but the schedule has changed and the Bearcats will start practice Friday (9:30 a.m.) at Camp Higher Ground in West Harrison, Indiana.

The team annually stages most of its summer practices at Higher Ground, which is about 30 minutes northwest of the main UC campus in Clifton. Except for a Saturday, Aug. 11 practice at Nippert Stadium, all other workouts this summer will be at Higher Ground. Practices are closed to the public.