Ohio State defensive coordinator Mark Dantonio was named head coach at Cincinnati on December 23 , 2003 . Dantonio became the first head coach in 23 years to lead the school to a winning season in his first season at UC . The Bearcats ' 7 – 5 record included a 5 – 3 record in Conference USA , which was good enough for a second-place finish . The Bearcats finished the season on a winning note with a 32 – 14 win over Marshall in the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl . During Dantonio 's time at UC , he led the Bearcats to a bowl game victory and directed the team 's transition into the Big East Conference in 2005 , where they would remain until 2012 . As head coach , Dantonio had 15 players earn all-conference honors and 25 received conference academic recognition . Dantonio 's Bearcats posted a 4 – 7 mark in 2005 which was followed by an 8 – 5 campaign in 2006 . Dantonio left UC after the 2006 season to accept the head coaching position at Michigan State
Big East Conference
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
Cincinnati Bearcats football