ESPN's metric measures team strength and it has the Bearcats at No. 70 nationally.
After entering last season with high hopes and lofty expectations, Cincinnati Bearcats football took a bit of a dive in the deceptively deep American Athletic Conference, en route to a 7-6 overall record (with a 42-7 embarrassment against San Diego State in the Hawaii Bowl) and a 4-4 record in the AAC.
The expectations aren't as high heading into this season, as evidenced by ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) team ratings, where Cincinnati falls in at No.