Idle UC Bearcats move up one spot to No. 7 in AP poll, one spot to No. 8 in coaches poll
The idle University of Cincinnati football team didn't lose or win over the weekend but still managed to gain a little ground in the polls.
The Bearcats, who had a bye last week, climbed one spot to No. 7 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll and moved up one spot to No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA coaches poll released Sunday.
Cincinnati (3-0), which last played Sept. 18 at Indiana, will head back to The Hoosier State on Oct. 2 to face No. 9/7 (AP/Coaches) Notre Dame in South Bend (2:30 p.m. on NBC).
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The Fighting Irish (4-0) climbed three spots in both polls this week after defeating previously No. 18/15-ranked (AP/Coaches) Wisconsin 41-13 Saturday at Solider Field in Chicago.
The Notre Dame defense, led by former UC defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman, collected four interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns in the win.
Freeman left Cincinnati in January after four seasons to take over the Irish defense. UC sophomore linebacker Deshawn Pace last week expressed his displeasure with Freeman's departure ahead of the teams' upcoming matchup.
More:AAC Defensive Player of the Week Deshawn Pace off to dominant start for No. 8/9 Bearcats
"He shouldn't have left," said Pace, who was named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week after a racking up a game-high 10 tackles and an interception against Indiana. "So now, we just gotta go out there and show him why he shouldn't have left.
"I know Des (UC senior quarterback Desmond Ridder) got something up his sleeve for him."
With Saturday's win, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, who was the head coach at UC from 2007-09, passed Knute Rockne to become the winningest coach in the history of the Irish program.
Kelly is 106-39 in 12 seasons at Notre Dame. Rockne was 105-12-5 in 13 seasons (1918-30).
Kelly was 34-6 in his three seasons at Cincinnati.