Head coach Luke Fickell usually wouldn’t mention goals for the season to the University of Cincinnati football team in August. Usually, those conversations would wait until the week before a pivotal conference game, or at least the start of the regular season.
But the Bearcats were closer last season than they’ve ever been to an American Athletic Conference Championship, and they return most of their best players on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Desmond Ridder and first-team all-conference safety Darrick Forrest.
So in the opening days of the 2020 preseason, Fickell has mentioned winning the conference more than he ever has at Cincinnati.