Behind Enemy Lines: What Cincinnati is saying about Baylor

When Baylor (2-4, 1-2) and Cincinnati (2-4, 0-3) meet for the first time on Saturday at Nippert Stadium, it will be under circumstances that neither program could have imagined when the game was initially scheduled. Both programs have drastically taken steps backward after having the recent success that had the Bearcats in the 2021 CFP and the Bears as the Sugar Bowl and Big 12 champions.

Unfortunately for both programs, that success hasn’t been able to carry over and this season each team is on the brink of not being bowl eligible. The Bearcats have lost four straight games after opening the season 2-0, while Baylor needed a miracle to beat UCF after trailing by 29 in the fourth quarter while the Bounce House had already cleared out and a rain delay helped slow the momentum that Long Island had built in McLane Stadium. 

Neither team has been able to muster up much offensively this season, as Cincinnati ranks 11th in total offense in the Big 12 and Baylor is dead last. The Bearcats have been more consistent on defense than the Bears all season, which has them ranked 8th in total defense in the conference as Baylor is only above Houston at 13th.

For the Cincinnati faithful, they can at least identify the cause of their slide. First, they had a coaching change that saw Luke Fickle leave for the Wisconsin job and they were making the transition from the American Conference to the Big 12, which has been a difficult task for all of the new four programs.

Baylor fans have a legitimate reason to be concerned, as their head coach (Dave Aranda) is in his fourth season at the helm and the program appears to be moving backward despite multiple staff changes during that time period.

Earlier this week, Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield spoke on the similarities of his Bearcats and the Bears with their struggles this season.

“There are a lot of similarities between our two teams. Coach Aranda does a great job," Satterfield said. "He's an outstanding football coach. They have lost some tough games… They are coming off a bye week so I'm sure they are going to be fresh and healthy and ready to go.”

“I believe that this game is going to come down to who wants it more. It is going to come down to who is hungry in this week of preparation and who really wants this game. We must do a better job with our energy and our attention to detail as we come out to play this game this weekend." 

Both teams desperately need to win on Saturday and the loser in all likelihood won’t go bowling this season. Kickoff between the Bears and Bearcats is set for 11:00 a.m. and will be available to watch on ESPN+.