Slap the Sign
Fansided

Notre Dame football: Cincinnati could spell trouble for the Irish

By Daniel Morrison

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 01: A general view of the Cincinnati Bearcats taking the field ahead of a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 01: A general view of the Cincinnati Bearcats taking the field ahead of a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
Notre Dame Football
CINCINNATI, OH – OCTOBER 03: Notre Dame football Defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman of the Cincinnati Bearcats talks to his players during a game against the South Florida Bulls at Nippert Stadium on October 3, 2020, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati won 28-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

The Notre Dame football team will take on the Cincinnati Bearcats during the 2021 regular season, in a game with plenty of storylines.

Despite their relative proximity, Notre Dame football and Cincinnati have only played once in their entire history. That was over 120 years ago, in 1900 when Notre Dame football beat Cincinnati 58-0.

They picked a great time for their second meeting, as the Irish are coming off two College Football Playoff appearances in three seasons, while the Bearcats are widely considered to be the top team in the Group of Five.

Put aside how exciting of a matchup this game is on the field, there is a lot of interest surrounding the coaching staff. Notre Dame football head coach Brian Kelly was at Cincinnati before he got the job in South Bend, and while there, Kelly racked up a 34-6 record and has been inducted into the Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame.

Meanwhile, Kelly just brought in Marcus Freeman as the new defensive coordinator, and in his previous job as defensive coordinator at Cincinnati, he was a key figure in the Bearcats’ recent rise to the top of the G5.

The game itself comes at a tough time for Notre Dame, immediately after their trip to Soldier Field to play Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Cincinnati gets a bye week to lead into the game.

For the Bearcats, this game is vital. In the world where (supposedly) a G5 team can make the current four-team College Football Playoff, Cincinnati is perfectly positioned. They have been a consistent name for a couple of years now, and they head into 2021 with a lot of hype and a tough out-of-conference schedule.

Trips to Indiana and Notre Dame are wins that they could hang their hat on, while UCF and SMU provide fireworks in-conference. If everything breaks right, and the Bearcats go undefeated, they hypothetically might get considered for the Playoff.

But what chance does Cincinnati have of going into South Bend and winning, and should Notre Dame be concerned about a home loss to a G5 power?

Home/Notre Dame Football