Pike is the Bearcats Best Option at Quarterback
The Cincinnati Bearcats are 10-0 for the first time in school history. This is clearly the best team in the history of UC football and if they plan to finish this season unblemished, they will need Tony Pike to do it.
Simply put, Pike is the best quarterback on their roster. While Zach Collaros has stepped in and done a marvelous job as Pike has nursed a broken arm, when Pike is ready to go this is his team. Pike is a sixth year senior and team leader. He gives the Bearcats even more options on the offensive end and when healthy can do things few college quarterbacks can. Don't forget that Pike was in the running for the Heisman Trophy before his injury against South Florida.
When the Bearcats return to the field on November 27 against Illinois, it will be over six weeks since Tony Pike's injury. Coach Brian Kelly believes he will be close enough to 100% by then that he will be able to make the start. The risk of Pike re-injuring his arm will be all but gone and he will be able to do all the things he was doing before the injury.
While UC has continued to win despite Pike's absence, the wins have not been nearly as convincing. Critics have started to question how good Cincinnati really is in spite of their 10-0 record. A healthy Tony Pike will help silence those critics and prove the Bearcats can play with anyone in the nation.
Pike gives UC an added dimension, the deep threat. He is blessed with one of the best arms in the nation and prior to his injury the Bearcats were averaging 41 points a game. That average has dropped to 35 since his injury. He can sling the ball all over the field and throw on the run as good as anybody. At 6'6" Pike has the ability to see over the line and hit targets Collaros is unable to see. The return of Pike may also mean the return of fan favorite Mardy Gilyard. Over the past three games the star wideout has not reached the end zone. Pike to Gilyard is the best combination in college football.
In college football the motto is what have you done for me lately...as in last week. People tend to not look at the big picture. Cincinnati began the season with road wins over Rutgers and Oregon St. Oregon St. is two wins from a Rose Bowl and Rutgers has only lost one game since. College football experts only remember the two-point win over UConn and the close win over West Virginia. Only SEC teams are allowed to win close and not get blamed for it. Thank God for the computer polls which are not swayed toward the SEC and Big 12 like the human element of the polls. Cincinnati is third in the computer polls, which basically asks two questions. Who have you played and who have you beat?
Florida and Alabama play in the National Semifinal...I mean the SEC Championship, with the winner locked into the National Championship game. A loss by Texas down the stretch is Cincinnati's only hope. The return of Tony Pike will bring the swagger back to Cincinnati and possibly sway a few votes their way. A convincing win over Illinois followed by an even more convincing win over Pittsburgh may just propel Cincinnati into the National Championship game. Regardless of what so called experts say, Pike is the best option for UC and with him the slim possibility of a National Championship is still there. The likely scenario though...a trip to the Sugar Bowl against Alabama.