College football Saturday review: Why Luke Fickell and USC are drifting apart

One of the things Luke Fickell said last week during my visit to Cincinnati really stuck with me Saturday as I watched his star quarterback, Desmond Ridder, wave the Bearcats’ flag in the end zone of Notre Dame Stadium.

“Whether it’s right or wrong, I don’t take in a lot of the sights,” Fickell said of the South Bend experience. “My former players and coaches call me and remind me, ‘Hey, make sure to take in the opportunity you have and enjoy it, look around at some point.’ That doesn’t happen until there’s zeros on the clock for me.”

When the zeros hit, No. 7 Cincinnati had 24 points to No. 9 Notre Dame’s 13, and we can only hope he was able to snap out of his trance to soak up the sight of what looked like thousands of Cincinnati fans draped in red cheering on Ridder and his teammates as the defeated Notre Dame student section sang the alma mater.

I went to Cincinnati to profile one of college football’s best stories of recent years — and, of course, to gauge the likelihood that Fickell could be USC’s next head coach. Before Saturday’s game, I felt it was unlikely, due to his deep Ohio roots and family pressures, but still possible. Nobody, even his reluctant wife, Amy Fickell, was willing to close the door on USC.

Though beating the Trojans’ rival Saturday made Fickell more coveted by USC fans who were already intrigued by him, my gut tells me Cincinnati’s historic victory lessened the chances of a Fickell-USC match.

The Bearcats were clearly better than the Fighting Irish on both sides of the ball. They led 17-0 at halftime and answered Notre Dame with a clutch touchdown drive in the fourth quarter when the Irish pulled to within 17-13 and the echoes were waking. This was an emphatic result that proved to Fickell that he does not need to coach at a blue blood to beat one.

Cincinnati should be ranked in the top five this week and will be a heavy favorite in every game it plays in the American Athletic Conference. With wins at Indiana and at Notre Dame in nonconference play, it will have the resume to become the first Group of Five team to be invited to the College Football Playoff if it runs the table.

Look, nobody is suggesting that Fickell is going to finish his career at Cincinnati. He’s 48 and eventually Ohio State (his alma mater), Notre Dame, Michigan or Penn State will come open again and better fit his Midwestern ethos. In the meantime, there are reasons beyond his team’s recent performance to stay put, keep building and not rock the boat with his happy family.

Amy Fickell told me that she is hopeful Cincinnati’s upcoming move to the Big 12 and the Power Five will show Luke there is more to be done right where he is. Throw in an expanded playoff, and there’s a legitimate chance for the Bearcats to have more seasons just like this one, particularly with Fickell running the show.

USC athletic director Mike Bohn, who hired Fickell at Cincinnati and gets his family dynamic, probably already knows whether he has a real shot at Fickell. He also knows that if his top candidate makes the playoff he won’t be able to make a hire until January, which could make it harder on USC to keep its recruiting class together through December’s early signing period.

Trojans backers who have their eye on Fickell should hope for just a wee little bit of adversity to befall the Bearcats in the coming weeks. Based on Saturday, though, I wouldn’t count on a Cincinnati letdown — or Fickell switching out Cincinnati red for USC cardinal.