This is a list ofseasons completed by theCincinnati Bearcats football team of theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division IFootball Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Since the team's creation in 1885, theBearcats have participated in more than 1,200 officially sanctioned games, including 16 bowl games.
The Bearcats have been a member of numerous athletic conferences. From 1910 through 1924, the Bearcats was a member of theOhio Athletic Conference. In 1925, the team joined the defunct Buckeye Intercollegiate Athletic Association, where it won 2 conference championships. From 1947 to 1952, the Bearcats was a member of the Mid-American Conference. From 1957 though 1969, Cincinnati competed in theMissouri Valley Conference, where it won two conference championships. As one of the founding members, the Bearcats competed inConference USA from 1995 through 2004. In 2005, Cincinnati joined theBig East, its first time in a conference with an automatic BCS bowl bid. After the fracturing of the Big East in 2012, the football-playing remnants of the conference, including Cincinnati, rebranded themselves as theAmerican Athletic Conference (AAC), which they competed in until moving to theBig 12 Conference in 2023. The Bearcats have also previously played as a football "I-A" independent between 1970–1995[1] Throughout their history, the Bearcats have captured all or a share of 14 conference titles, despite these long bouts of gridiron nomadism.
| Conference champions * | Division champions ‡ | Bowl game berth ^ |
| Season | Coach(es)[2] | Conference | Division | Season results[1][3] | Bowl result | Final ranking | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference finish[4] | Division finish | Wins | Losses | Ties [A 1] | AP Poll[6] | Coaches Poll | |||||
| Cincinnati Bearcats | |||||||||||
| 1885 | — | Ind | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A |
| 1886 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1887 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1888 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1889 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1890 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1891 | — | — | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1892 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1893 | — | — | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1894 | W. Durant Berry | — | — | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1895 | — | — | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1896 | William A. Reynolds | — | — | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1897 | Tom Fennell | — | — | 9 | 1 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1898 | Frank Cavanaugh | — | — | 6 | 1 | 2 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1899 | Daniel A. Reed | — | — | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1900 | — | — | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1901 | Henry S. Pratt | — | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1902 | Anthony Chez | — | — | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1903 | — | — | 1 | 8 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1904 | Amos Foster | — | — | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1905 | — | — | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1906 | William Foley | — | — | 0 | 7 | 2 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1907 | No team | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| 1908 | Ralph Inott | Ind | — | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | |
| 1909 | Robert Burch | — | — | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1910 | OAC | — | — | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1911 | 2nd | — | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1912 | Lowell Dana | 3rd | — | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1913 * | 1st * | — | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1914 * | George Little | 1st * | — | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1915 | 5th | — | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1916 | Ion Cortright | 5th | — | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1917 | Frank Marty | 5th | — | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1918 | Boyd Chambers | 2nd | — | 3 | 0 | 2 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1919 | 5th | — | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1920 * | 1st * | — | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1921 | 5th | — | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1922 | George McLaren | 4th | — | 1 | 7 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1923 * | 1st * | — | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1924 * | 1st * | — | 2 | 6 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1925 | 4th | — | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1926 | Buckeye | — | — | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1927 | George Babcock | — | — | 2 | 5 | 2 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1928 | 6th | — | 1 | 8 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1929 | — | — | 4 | 4 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1930 | 3rd | — | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1931 | Dana M. King | — | — | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1932 | — | — | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1933 * | 1st * | — | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1934 * | 1st * | — | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1935 | Russ Cohen | 2nd | — | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | N/A | N/A | ||
| 1936 | Ind | — | — | 1 | 5 | 3 | — | — | N/A | ||
| 1937 | Russ Cohen,Wade Woodworth | — | — | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | — | N/A | ||
| 1938 | Joseph A. Meyer | — | — | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | N/A | ||
| 1939 | — | — | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | N/A | |||
| 1940 | — | — | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | — | N/A | |||
| 1941 | — | — | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | — | N/A | |||
| 1942 | — | — | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | N/A | |||
| 1943 | No team | N/A | — | — | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| 1944 | — | — | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||
| 1945 | Ray Nolting | Ind | — | — | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | N/A | |
| 1946 | — | — | 9 | 2 | 0 | Won1947 Sun Bowl vs.VPI, 18–6 ^ | — | N/A | |||
| 1947 * | MAC | 1st * | — | 7 | 3 | 0 | — | — | N/A | ||
| 1948 | 2nd | — | 3 | 6 | 1 | — | — | N/A | |||
| 1949 * | Sid Gillman | 1st * | — | 7 | 4 | 0 | Won 1949Glass Bowl vs.Toledo, 33–13 ^ | — | N/A | ||
| 1950 | 2nd | — | 8 | 4 | 0 | Lost1951 Sun Bowl vs.West Texas State, 13–14 ^ | — | — | |||
| 1951 * | 1st * | — | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1952 * | 1st * | — | 8 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | |||
| 1953 | Ind | — | — | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | ||
| 1954 | — | — | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1955 | George Blackburn | — | — | 1 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | ||
| 1956 | — | — | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1957 | MVC | 4th | — | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | ||
| 1958 | 2nd | — | 6 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | |||
| 1959 | 5th | — | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | |||
| 1960 | 3rd | — | 4 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1961 | Charles Studley | 3rd | — | 3 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | ||
| 1962 | 3rd | — | 2 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1963 * | 1st * | — | 6 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1964 * | 1st * | — | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1965 | 3rd | — | 5 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1966 | 3rd | — | 3 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1967 | Homer Rice | 3rd | — | 3 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | ||
| 1968 | 3rd | — | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | |||
| 1969 | Ray Callahan | 3rd | — | 4 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | ||
| 1970 | Ind | — | — | 7 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | ||
| 1971 | — | — | 7 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1972 | — | — | 2 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1973 | Tony Mason | — | — | 4 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | ||
| 1974 | — | — | 7 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1975 | — | — | 6 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1976 | — | — | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1977 | Ralph Staub | — | — | 5 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | ||
| 1978 | — | — | 5 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1979 | — | — | 2 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1980 | — | — | 2 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1981 | Mike Gottfried | — | — | 6 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | ||
| 1982 | — | — | 6 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1983 | Watson Brown | — | — | 4 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | ||
| 1984 | Dave Currey | — | — | 2 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | ||
| 1985 | — | — | 5 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1986 | — | — | 5 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1987 | — | — | 4 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1988 | — | — | 3 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1989 | Tim Murphy | — | — | 1 | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | ||
| 1990 | — | — | 1 | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1991 | — | — | 4 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1992 | — | — | 3 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1993 | — | — | 8 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1994 | Rick Minter | — | — | 2 | 8 | 1 | — | — | — | ||
| 1995 | — | — | 6 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | |||
| 1996 | C-USA | 3rd | — | 6 | 5 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997 | 4th | — | 8 | 4 | — | Won1997 Humanitarian Bowl vs.Utah State, 35–19 ^ | — | — | |||
| 1998 | 7th | — | 2 | 9 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1999 | 9th | — | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2000 | 2nd | — | 7 | 5 | — | Lost2000 Motor City Bowl vs.Marshall, 14–25 ^ | — | — | |||
| 2001 | 2nd | — | 7 | 5 | — | Lost2001 Motor City Bowl vs.Toledo, 16–23 ^ | — | — | |||
| 2002 * | 1st * | — | 7 | 7 | — | Lost2002 New Orleans Bowl vs.North Texas, 19–24 ^ | — | — | |||
| 2003 | 9th | — | 5 | 7 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2004 | Mark Dantonio | 2nd | — | 7 | 5 | — | Won2004 Fort Worth Bowl vs.Marshall, 32–14 ^ | — | — | ||
| 2005 | Big East | T–6th | — | 4 | 7 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006 | Mark Dantonio,Brian Kelly | T–4th | — | 8 | 5 | — | Won2007 International Bowl vs.Western Michigan, 27–24 ^ | — | — | ||
| 2007 | Brian Kelly | T–3rd | — | 10 | 3 | — | Won2007 PapaJohns.com Bowl vs.Southern Mississippi, 31–21 ^ | 17 | 20 | ||
| 2008 * | 1st * | — | 11 | 3 | — | Lost2009 Orange Bowl vs.Virginia Tech, 7–20 ^ | 17 | 17 | |||
| 2009 * | Brian Kelly,Jeff Quinn | 1st * | — | 12 | 1 | — | Lost2010 Sugar Bowl vs.Florida, 24–51 ^ | 8 | 9 | ||
| 2010 | Butch Jones | 7th | — | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011 * | T–1st * | — | 10 | 3 | — | Won2011 Liberty Bowl vs.Vanderbilt, 31–24 ^ | 25 | 21 | |||
| 2012 * | Butch Jones,Steve Stripling | T–1st * | — | 10 | 3 | — | Won2012 Belk Bowl vs.Duke, 48–34 ^ | RV | 22 | ||
| 2013 | Tommy Tuberville | AAC | 3rd | — | 9 | 4 | — | Lost2013 Belk Bowl vs.North Carolina, 17–39 ^ | — | — | |
| 2014 * | T–1st * | — | 9 | 4 | — | Lost2014 Military Bowl vs.Virginia Tech, 17–33 ^ | — | — | |||
| 2015 | East | — | 3rd | 7 | 6 | — | Lost2015 Hawaii Bowl vs.San Diego State, 7–42 ^ | — | — | ||
| 2016 | — | T–4th | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2017 | Luke Fickell | — | T–4th | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018 | — | 3rd | 11 | 2 | — | Won2018 Military Bowl vs.Virginia Tech, 35–31 ^ | 24 | 23 | |||
| 2019 ‡ | 2nd | 1st ‡ | 11 | 3 | — | Won2020 Birmingham Bowl vs.Boston College, 38–6 ^ | 21 | 21 | |||
| 2020 * | — | 1st * | — | 9 | 1 | — | Lost2021 Peach Bowl vs.Georgia, 21–24 ^ | 8 | 8 | ||
| 2021 * | 1st * | — | 13 | 1 | — | Lost2021 Cotton Bowl Classic vs.Alabama, 6–27 (CFP Semifinal) ^ | 4 | 4 | |||
| 2022 | Luke Fickell,Kerry Coombs | 3rd | — | 9 | 4 | — | Lost2022 Fenway Bowl vs.Louisville, 7–24 ^ | — | — | ||
| 2023 | Scott Satterfield | Big 12 | 14th | — | 3 | 9 | — | — | — | — | |
| 2024 | T–11th | — | 5 | 7 | — | — | — | — | |||
| Total | 667 | 615 | 50 | (through 2024 season) | |||||||