2009 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

2009 Cincinnati Bearcats football
Big East champion
Sugar Bowl, L 24–51 vs. Florida
ConferenceBig East Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 9
APNo. 8
Record12–1 (7–0 Big East)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJeff Quinn (3rd season)
Defensive coordinatorBob Diaco (1st season)
Home stadiumNippert Stadium
Seasons
← 2008
2010 →
2009 Big East Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 8 Cincinnati $   7 0     12 1  
No. 25 West Virginia   5 2     9 4  
No. 15 Pittsburgh   5 2     10 3  
Rutgers   3 4     9 4  
Connecticut   3 4     8 5  
South Florida   3 4     8 5  
Louisville   1 6     4 8  
Syracuse   1 6     4 8  
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2009 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team, coached by Brian Kelly, played its home games in Nippert Stadium.

They won their second consecutive Big East Conference championship and played in their second consecutive Bowl Championship Series game, the Sugar Bowl vs Florida. It was also the second BCS bowl appearance in school history.

The Bearcats finished third in the 2009 Bowl Championship Series rankings. The Bearcats became the first team from a BCS conference to finish the regular season unbeaten and be left out of the BCS Championship Game since Auburn in 2004. However, had Texas lost the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game, the Bearcats would have had a realistic shot at playing in the BCS National Championship Game, since they would have been one of only two undefeated teams left from an AQ conference.

Head coach Brian Kelly resigned at the end of the regular season to take the head coaching job at Notre Dame. Offensive coordinator Jeff Quinn coached the Bearcats in the Sugar Bowl. Butch Jones began coaching the team in 2010.

The Bearcats were defeated by Florida 51–24 in the Sugar Bowl to end their undefeated season.

A heart-warming element of this amazing 2009 team was their adoption of Mitch Stone, a 12-year-old cancer patient, called "a key to this special season".[1]

  1. ^ Thamel, Pete (October 14, 2009). "Resurgent Cincinnati Inspired by Bond With Young Cancer Patient". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2021.

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