Cincinnati Football: Bearcats Finish the Season in Top 25

The Cincinnati Bearcats and particularly head coach Butch Jones received great news today when they cracked the Top 25 of both the AP and the USA Today final polls.

Jones will receive a bonus for his team finishing in the Top 25 as the Bearcats came in at No. 21 in the USA Today poll and No. 25 in the AP Poll.

More importantly, the success of a 10-3 season and a share of the Big East title did not go unrecognized by the coaches and writers.

This was the third time in the past four seasons that Cincinnati finished ranked in the final polls and the fourth time in the past five seasons they have won 10 games, a feat only four other teams in college football have accomplished.

For Cincinnati, it is all about building a program and getting some stability at the head coaching position. Butch Jones brings just that.

While the excellent senior class is the main reason for the success over the past five years, it is looking more likely that Jones will be around for years to come which means that the Bearcats could find themselves in the Top 25 on a yearly basis.

Even with that talented senior class now departed, the youth and depth of each class will show next season when Cincinnati once again rises into the Top 25, even if they do not begin the season there.

Cincinnati also has an extremely talented recruiting class coming in. They are building a program, but not just any program, a Top 25 program.

As long as Butch Jones is in Clifton, that is where they are likely to stay.

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