After just one loss in the past two seasons and consecutive Big East championships, the Cincinnati Bearcats have become the team to beat in Big East football. First-year head coach Butch Jones understands this, but he wants more than just another Big East championship.

“Everybody in the Big East conference is looking to beat Cincinnati every day,” said Jones. “I tell the team, ‘We’re not defending anything. We’re working toward a championship.’”

The Bearcats finished the regular season undefeated and earned a spot in the Sugar Bowl against Florida. They were defeated soundly by the Gators, 51-24, and coach Brian Kelly left the team at the end of the season to coach Notre Dame.

This will be the second time Jones has replaced Kelly as the head coach of a football team, having done so at Central Michigan in 2007. He filled in nicely for Kelly back then, guiding the Chippewas to a 20-3 conference record over his three years as head coach.

Cincinnati had one of the best offenses in the nation in 2009 and should remain as an elite offensive team in 2010. Quarterback Zach Collaros will take over as the starter after Tony Pike departed for the NFL. He was solid in replacement duty last season, throwing for 1,434 yards and 14 TDs.

College football lines favorite team, Cincinnati appeared to be a solid defensive team in 2009 through its first eight games, but when the schedule got tough their defensive weaknesses were exposed to a major degree. In their last five games, they gave up an average of almost 40 points per game. They are switching to a 4-3 formation after using a 3-4 formation under Kelly.

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