This season has been a disappointment thus far for UC. Some people in my live chat during the WVU game were asking who the last team to go from BCS to not making a bowl were. The truth turns out to be it happens more often than you think. To say the Bearcats are alone in struggling after a BCS bowl bid would be wrong.
Regardless of what happens the rest of this season, a pressure certainly has been amped up to return to top of the Big East next year more than it would have been if UC owned a better record right now.
But it should be noted this year has been one of the worst for teams who were in BCS bowls the previous season. I went back through the last five seasons and found records of the BCS participants the next season.
This year, three teams are at .500 or worse with UC, Georgia Tech and Texas those taking a step backward.
Jones mentioned Texas in a press conference earlier this year and his points are well-founded. This can happen to anybody. Sure, it's disappointing, but is Mack Brown a terrible coach all of a sudden, because of a dip in performance? Has Texas lost it?
It's unfair to compare UC's developing program to the history, tradition and recruiting classes of Texas, but the principal holds true: No matter how good the program -- even as recent as a year ago -- it all runs in cycles.
Remember, Texas played for the national championship last season.
Notre Dame went from BCS to 3-9.
Two of the recent Big East powers to cycle through and endure coaching changes were West Virginia after Rich Rodriguez left, they went 9-4 the next year under Bill Stewart.
Louisville after Bobby Petrino left went 6-6 under Steve Kragthorpe.
In all, seven of 48 BCS teams finished .500 or worse the next season.
Fifteen of 38 returned to the BCS (Ten this year TBD)
The average record of a team one year after the BCS is: 9.2-3.2
The overall record is 404-154.
Here is the individual breakdown
BCS teams - Next season record
-- B before record stands for return to BCS bowl game
2009
Alabama 8-2
Texas 4-6
Georgia Tech 5-5
Iowa 7-3
Boise State 9-0
TCU 11-0
Florida 6-4
Cincinnati 3-6
Oregon 10-0
Ohio State 9-1
2008
Florida B13-1
Oklahoma 8-5
Texas B13-1
Ohio State B11-2
Utah 10-3
Alabama B14-0
Virginia Tech 10-3
Cincinnati B12-1
USC 9-4
Penn State 11-2
2007
LSU 8-5
Ohio State B10-3
Kansas 8-5
Virginia Tech B10-4
West Virginia 9-4
Oklahoma B12-2
Georgia 10-3
Hawaii 7-7
USC B12-1
Illinois 5-7
2006
Florida 9-4
Ohio State B11-2
LSU B12-2
Notre Dame 3-9
Louisville 6-6
Wake Forest 9-4
Boise State 10-3
Oklahoma B11-3
USC B11-2
Michigan 9-4
2005
Texas 10-3
USC B11-2
Penn State 9-4
Florida State 7-6 (.500 in reg season, won bowl game)
West Virginia 11-2
Georgia 9-4
Ohio State B12-1
Notre Dame B10-3
