re: Why Cincinnati bearcats football is on the decline?

They were pretty good during the Dantonio/Kelly/Jones tenures and even had a few good years for Tuberville's first few. Getting locked out of a power conference was devastating for them.

Contrast that with Louisville - their peer almost every step of the way for the last sixty years until Louisville's jump into the ACC. Louisville managed to win a couple of big bowl games, had higher peaks, and showed a much stronger commitment to football - all things that managed to get them into the ACC.

They'll be fine if they ever get into a P5 conference (Big XII most likely currently). They're in a good recruiting area and still have a decently solid fanbase if the product is there. I think having Ohio State in state really holds them back.