Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - 2007 SEASON IN REVIEW: Not much was expected of Cincinnati before the season, so the fact that the Bearcats won their first six games in 2007 served as a surprise to most fans and analysts.

Included in that impressive stretch was a 34-3 romp over Oregon State, and a hard-fought road victory over Rutgers. Then, after losing to Louisville and Pittsburgh by a combined 11 points in the seventh and eighth weeks of the campaign, Cincinnati bested both South Florida and Connecticut to move to 8-2 overall. The Bearcats nearly knocked off West Virginia on November 17th, losing by only five points to the Mountaineers. Then, in the regular season finale, they scored 52 points en route to a romp over Syracuse. At 9-3, the club earned a bid to the Papajohns.com Bowl where it faced Southern Miss. A strong effort was put forth by the Bearcats in that contest, and the result was a 31-21 victory.

A 10-win season had to be viewed as a major accomplishment for Brian Kelly, especially considering it was his first season as head coach of the team. Suddenly, there are expectations to live up to.

2008 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: Brian Kelly runs a spread offense, and a capable quarterback is needed for the system to work as designed. Quarterback Ben Mauk was denied an extension of eligibility and therefore Kelly must look elsewhere to fill the void. Notre Dame transfer Demetrius Jones is still recovering from a torn labrum that required surgery, so experienced back-up Dustin Grutza figures to start the opener.

No matter which quarterback lines up under center, there is plenty of surrounding talent to make the offensive engine go. Dominick Goodman is the most productive returnee at the receiver position, as he is coming off a junior campaign that saw him snag 68 balls for 869 yards and eight touchdowns. Marty Gilyard and Marcus Barnett also contributed at the receiver position last season.

The offensive line welcomes back three starters and figures to be solid. As for the ground attack, Jacob Ramsey figures to be the primary back, and he worked hard in the offseason to add bulk to his frame. Cincinnati ranked 16th nationally in scoring last season with 36.3 ppg. It is hard to imagine the Bearcats exceeding that average, and in fact a repeat performance may be a bit out of a stretch as well.

DEFENSE: After finishing 13th in the nation in scoring defense last year, Cincinnati has the reputation of being a stout defensive team. With six returning starters in the fold, there is reason for optimism, although there are questions to be answered.

Coach Kelly is particularly concerned about the defensive backfield and the defensive end position. There is talent in place, but it remains to be seen if the athletes can get it done on the field. Corey Smith returns 80 tackles at linebacker, and he figures to benefit tremendously once again from All- American defensive tackle Terrill Byrd. The fact that the interior defensive lineman was able to post eight sacks last season speaks to his tremendous skill.

The corners, Mike Mickens and DeAngelo Smith, should be able to mask what is perceived to be some weakness at the safety position.

SPECIAL TEAMS: There is no better punter nationally than Kevin Huber, a First Team All-America performer. Unfortunately, the placekicking job isn't nearly as settled. Jake Rogers struggled as a freshman, and it remains to be seen if he is good enough to hold on to the job this year.

OUTLOOK: "One year is a blip on the radar, two years becomes a trend," says coach Kelly. "We're not a trend yet. We're a one-year football program that had 10 wins." Kelly is a tremendous leader who will get the most from his players. He has major aspirations for the program and expects major results this year. The team has some tough non-conference games that could tell a lot about this team, with road trips to Oklahoma and Hawaii looming large. The rest of the non-league slate includes Eastern Kentucky in the season-opener, followed by Miami-Ohio, Akron and Marshall after the trek to Norman. The Big East slate includes home games against Rutgers, USF, Pittsburgh and Syracuse and road tilts at UConn, West Virginia and Louisville. ,

The Big East Conference is wide open, and while West Virginia seems to be the clear favorite, the Bearcats are one of the teams that could be in the mix as the season comes to a close.