# 2020 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

The 2020 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bearcats played their home games at Nippert Stadium and competed as members of the American Athletic Conference. They were led by fourth-year head coach Luke Fickell.

## Recruits

College recruiting information (2020) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Evan Prater QB | Cincinnati, Ohio | Wyoming High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | May 2, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jadon Thompson WR | Naperville, Illinois | Marist High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Feb 4, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jaheim Thomas OLB | Cincinnati, Ohio | Princeton High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 214 lb (97 kg) | Jul 20, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Chris Scott WR | Pickerington, Ohio | Pickerington North High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jan 27, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Marquez Bell WR | Lake City, Florida | Columbia High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Feb 5, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Sammy Anderson S | Trotwood, Ohio | Trotwood-Madison High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Nov 15, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Daved Jones OLB | West Chester, Ohio | Lakota West High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 207 lb (94 kg) | Jul 2, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Gavin Gerhardt OL | Xenia, Ohio | Xenia West High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 300 lb (140 kg) | Nov 5, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Kobe McAllister OL | Ringgold, Georgia | Heritage High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 275 lb (125 kg) | Apr 5, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| John Williams OL | Bolingbrook, Illinois | Bolingbrook High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 300 lb (140 kg) | Apr 6, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Deshawn Pace DB | Cincinnati, Ohio | Colerain High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Apr 20, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jake Renfro OC | New Lenox, Illinois | Providence Catholic High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | Jun 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Sterling Miles DE | West Bloomfield, Michigan | West Bloomfield High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Jun 21, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Tyler Scott ATH | Norton, Ohio | Norton High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jul 4, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Justin Wodtly DT | Cleveland, Ohio | Cleveland Heights High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 270 lb (120 kg) | Jul 26, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Ethan Wright ATH | Akron, Ohio | Manchester High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Dec 5, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Payten Singletary TE | Thomasville, Georgia | Thomasville High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Aug 2, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Todd Bumphis Jr. WR | Toledo, Ohio | Saint Francis De Sales High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jun 22, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Dominique Perry DE | Germantown, Maryland | Northwest High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | Jan 26, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Norman Love ATH | Lake Wales, Florida | Lake Wales High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jun 11, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 39 247Sports: 40 |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2020 Cincinnati Football Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020. "2020 Players Commitments – Cincinnati". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020. "2020 Cincinnati Bearcats football team". 247sports.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020. |||||||

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Prev. School |
| Jerome Ford | RB | 5' 11" | 206 | Sophomore (Redshirt) | Seffner, FL | Alabama |
| Michael Young Jr. | WR | 5' 11" | 190 | Junior | Destrehan, LA | Notre Dame |
| Jordan Jones | WR | 6' 1" | 185 | Senior | Smackover, AR | Arkansas |

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| Bednarik Award | Darrick Forrest | S | Sr. |
| Bednarik Award | Sauce Gardner | CB | So. |
| Thorpe Award | Darrick Forrest | S | Sr. |
| Thorpe Award | Sauce Gardner | CB | So. |
| Thorpe Award | James Wiggins | S | Sr. |
| Nagurski Award | Darrick Forrest | S | Sr. |
| Nagurski Award | James Wiggins | S | Sr. |
| Ray Guy Award | James Smith | P | Sr. |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Blake Bacevich | DE | So. |

### AAC preseason media poll

The preseason Poll was released September 1
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | UCF | 204 (10) |
| 2 | Cincinnati | 201 (7) |
| 3 | Memphis | 192 (2) |
| 4 | SMU | 146 |
| 5 | Navy | 125 (1) |
| 6 | Tulane | 118 |
| 7 | Houston | 114 |
| 8 | Temple | 88 |
| 9 | Tulsa | 49 |
| 10 | East Carolina | 42 |
| 11 | South Florida | 41 |

## Schedule

The Bearcats' 2020 schedule consisted of six home games and four away games. with the departure of UConn, the American eliminated divisions for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the Bearcats 2020 schedule will include eight conference games – four home games and four road games. Cincinnati hosted East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, and South Florida. They will travel to UCF, SMU, Temple, and Tulsa.
The Bearcats' hosted their opening non-conference game against Austin Peay (FCS). Cincinnati had a sixth home game against Western Michigan and two away games scheduled against Nebraska and Miami (OH), which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first season since 1944 that the Bearcats did not play Miami (OH) in the battle for the Victory Bell. To replace the canceled games, Cincinnati added a series against Army with a return game at Army scheduled for 2031.
The game between Tulsa and Cincinnati was originally scheduled to take place on October 17, however, due to COVID-19 management requirements in response to positive tests and subsequent quarantine of individuals within the Cincinnati program, the game was eventually rescheduled for December 12.
A COVID-19 outbreak within the Cincinnati program lead to the cancellation of the game between Temple and Cincinnati, scheduled for November 28, and the rescheduled game between Tulsa and Cincinnati, scheduled for December 12. In lieu of a head-to-head result against Tulsa, Cincinnati was granted hosting rights for the American Championship based upon conference tiebreakers.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 19 | 12:00 p.m. | Austin Peay* | No. 13 | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH | ESPN+ | W 55–20 | 0 |
| September 26 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 22 Army* | No. 14 | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH | ESPN | W 24–10 | 0 |
| October 3 | 3:30 p.m. | South Florida | No. 15 | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH | ESPN+ | W 28–7 | 0 |
| October 24 | 9:00 p.m. | at No. 16 SMU | No. 9 | Gerald J. Ford StadiumUniversity Park, TX | ESPN2 | W 42–13 | 7,898 |
| October 31 | 12:00 p.m. | Memphis | No. 7 | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH (rivalry) | ESPN | W 49–10 | 0 |
| November 7 | 3:30 p.m. | Houston | No. 6 | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH | ABC | W 38–10 | 0 |
| November 13 | 7:30 p.m. | East Carolina | No. 7 | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH | ESPN2 | W 55–17 | 0 |
| November 21 | 3:30 p.m. | at UCF | No. 7 | Bounce HouseOrlando, FL (rivalry) | ESPN | W 36–33 | 10,668 |
| December 19 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 23 Tulsa | No. 9 | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH (American Championship) | ABC | W 27–24 | 5,831 |
| January 1, 2021 | 12:30 p.m. | vs. No. 9 Georgia* | No. 8 | Mercedes-Benz StadiumAtlanta, GA (Peach Bowl) | ESPN | L 21–24 | 15,301 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||
Schedule Source:

## Game summaries
### Austin Peay

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Governors | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 20 |
| • No. 13 Bearcats | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 55 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| CIN -31.5 | 52.5 |
| Statistics | APSU | CIN |
| First downs | 18 | 24 |
| Plays–yards | 75–353 | 67–525 |
| Rushes–yards | 37–140 | 41–276 |
| Passing yards | 213 | 249 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 22–39–1 | 17–26–0 |
| Time of possession | 33:06 | 26:54 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| APSU | Passing | Jeremy Oatsvall | 20/34, 202 yards, 1 INT |
| APSU | Rushing | C.J. Evans Jr. | 12 carries, 89 yards, 2 TD |
| APSU | Receiving | Baniko Harley | 4 receptions, 94 yards |
| CIN | Passing | Desmond Ridder | 13/19, 176 yards |
| CIN | Rushing | Desmond Ridder | 4 carries, 61 yards |
| CIN | Receiving | Gerrid Doaks | 4 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD |
See Also: Austin Peay at Cincinnati Box Score

### Army

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| CIN -12.5 | 46 |
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 22 Black Knights | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| • No. 14 Bearcats | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Statistics | ARMY | CIN |
| First downs | 18 | 14 |
| Plays–yards | 64–276 | 69–331 |
| Rushes–yards | 43–182 | 35–69 |
| Passing yards | 94 | 262 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 9–21–1 | 19–34–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:32 | 29:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| ARMY | Passing | Christian Anderson | 9/21, 94 yards, 1 INT |
| ARMY | Rushing | Christian Anderson | 22 carries, 81 yards |
| ARMY | Receiving | Michael Roberts | 3 receptions, 46 yards |
| CIN | Passing | Desmond Ridder | 18/33, 258 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| CIN | Rushing | Jerome Ford | 8 carries, 34 yards, 1 TD |
| CIN | Receiving | Jayshon Jackson | 4 receptions, 75 yards |
See Also: Army at Cincinnati Box Score

### South Florida

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| CIN -14 | 43.5 |
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| • No. 15 Bearcats | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
| Statistics | USF | CIN |
| First downs | 19 | 22 |
| Plays–yards | 74–291 | 71–332 |
| Rushes–yards | 33–83 | 45–189 |
| Passing yards | 208 | 143 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–41–5 | 16–26–3 |
| Time of possession | 23:36 | 36:24 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| USF | Passing | Jordan McCloud | 12/21, 137 yards, 2 INT |
| USF | Rushing | Leonard Parker | 7 carries, 51 yards |
| USF | Receiving | DeVontres Dukes | 3 receptions, 47 yards |
| CIN | Passing | Desmond Ridder | 16/26, 143 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT |
| CIN | Rushing | Gerrid Doaks | 3 carries, 55 yards |
| CIN | Receiving | Jayshon Jackson | 3 receptions, 47 yards |
See Also: South Florida at Cincinnati Box Score

### At SMU

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| SMU -1.0 | 57 |
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 9 Bearcats | 14 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 42 |
| No. 16 Mustangs | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Statistics | CIN | SMU |
| First downs | 17 | 22 |
| Plays–yards | 56–439 | 85–290 |
| Rushes–yards | 35–313 | 39–75 |
| Passing yards | 126 | 215 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 13–21–0 | 24–46–1 |
| Time of possession | 27:15 | 32:45 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| CIN | Passing | Desmond Ridder | 13/21, 126 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT |
| CIN | Rushing | Desmond Ridder | 8 carries, 179 yards, 3 TD |
| CIN | Receiving | Tre Tucker | 2 receptions, 24 yards |
| SMU | Passing | Shane Buechele | 23/44, 216 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| SMU | Rushing | Ulysses Bentley IV | 16 carries, 40 yards |
| SMU | Receiving | Kylen Granson | 4 receptions, 68 yards |
See Also: Cincinnati at SMU Box Score

### Memphis

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| CIN -6.0 | 60.5 |
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| • No. 7 Bearcats | 7 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 49 |
| Statistics | MEM | CIN |
| First downs | 15 | 28 |
| Plays–yards | 64–321 | 67–513 |
| Rushes–yards | 29–5 | 41–242 |
| Passing yards | 316 | 271 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 18–35–0 | 21–26–1 |
| Time of possession | 25:10 | 34:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| MEM | Passing | Brady White | 18/35, 316 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT |
| MEM | Rushing | Rodrigues Clark | 12 carries, 16 yards |
| MEM | Receiving | Calvin Austin | 7 receptions, 121 yards |
| CIN | Passing | Desmond Ridder | 21/26, 271 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| CIN | Rushing | Jerome Ford | 9 carries, 116 yards, 2 TD |
| CIN | Receiving | Michael Young Jr. | 5 receptions, 43 yards, 1 TD |
See Also: Memphis at Cincinnati Box Score

### Houston

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| CIN -12.5 | 51.5 |
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| • No. 6 Bearcats | 7 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 38 |
| Statistics | HOU | CIN |
| First downs | 15 | 24 |
| Plays–yards | 62–282 | 69–510 |
| Rushes–yards | 28–93 | 39–342 |
| Passing yards | 189 | 168 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 20–34–1 | 20–30–1 |
| Time of possession | 27:31 | 32:29 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| HOU | Passing | Clayton Tune | 20/34, 189 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT |
| HOU | Rushing | Kyle Porter | 16 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD |
| HOU | Receiving | Tank Dell | 3 receptions, 60 yards |
| CIN | Passing | Desmond Ridder | 17/27, 162 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| CIN | Rushing | Gerrid Doaks | 16 carries, 184 yards, 1 TD |
| CIN | Receiving | Michael Young Jr. | 4 receptions, 47 yards |
See Also: Houston at Cincinnati Box Score

### East Carolina

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| CIN -25.5 | 55.5 |
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Pirates | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| • No. 7 Bearcats | 7 | 28 | 7 | 13 | 55 |
| Statistics | ECU | CIN |
| First downs | 23 | 29 |
| Plays–yards | 71–293 | 66–653 |
| Rushes–yards | 50–206 | 32–299 |
| Passing yards | 87 | 354 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 9–21–3 | 27–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:50 | 30:10 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| ECU | Passing | Holton Ahlers | 9/20, 87 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT |
| ECU | Rushing | Keaton Mitchell | 17 carries, 124 yards, 1 TD |
| ECU | Receiving | Keaton Mitchell | 1 reception, 26 yards |
| CIN | Passing | Desmond Ridder | 24/31, 327 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT |
| CIN | Rushing | Cameron Young | 1 carry, 75 yards, 1 TD |
| CIN | Receiving | Tre Tucker | 4 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD |
See Also: East Carolina at Cincinnati Box Score

### At UCF

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| CIN -3 | 61.5 |
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 7 Bearcats | 3 | 16 | 3 | 14 | 36 |
| Knights | 14 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 33 |
| Statistics | CIN | UCF |
| First downs | 28 | 23 |
| Plays–yards | 80–482 | 84–359 |
| Rushes–yards | 48–144 | 35–116 |
| Passing yards | 338 | 243 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–32–0 | 26–49–1 |
| Time of possession | 37:08 | 22:52 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| CIN | Passing | Desmond Ridder | 21/32, 338 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT |
| CIN | Rushing | Gerrid Doaks | 28 carries, 97 yards |
| CIN | Receiving | Josh Whyle | 5 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD |
| UCF | Passing | Dillon Gabriel | 26/49, 243 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| UCF | Rushing | Otis Anderson Jr. | 12 carries, 51 yards |
| UCF | Receiving | Marlon Williams | 8 receptions, 97 yards, 2 TD |
See Also: Cincinnati at UCF Box Score

### Tulsa (AAC Championship Game)

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| CIN -12.5 | 46.5.5 |
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 23 Golden Hurricane | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| • No. 9 Bearcats | 10 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
| Statistics | TLSA | CIN |
| First downs | 22 | 17 |
| Plays–yards | 67–365 | 67–420 |
| Rushes–yards | 37–199 | 38–151 |
| Passing yards | 166 | 269 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 13–30–2 | 19–29–0 |
| Time of possession | 26:03 | 33:57 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| TLSA | Passing | Zach Smith | 13/30, 166 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| TLSA | Rushing | Corey Taylor II | 22 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD |
| TLSA | Receiving | Sam Crawford Jr. | 3 receptions, 79 yards |
| CIN | Passing | Desmond Ridder | 19/29, 269 yards, 1 TD |
| CIN | Rushing | Desmond Ridder | 16 carries, 83 yards, 1 TD |
| CIN | Receiving | Alec Pierce | 5 receptions, 146 yards, 1 TD |
See Also: Tulsa at Cincinnati Box Score

### Georgia (Peach Bowl)

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UGA -7 | 50.5 |
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 9 Bulldogs | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
| No. 8 Bearcats | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Statistics | UGA | CIN |
| First downs | 19 | 16 |
| Plays–yards | 63–449 | 64–305 |
| Rushes–yards | 24–45 | 27–99 |
| Passing yards | 404 | 206 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 27–39–1 | 24–37–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:36 | 31:24 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UGA | Passing | JT Daniels | 26/38, 392 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| UGA | Rushing | Zamir White | 11 carries, 41 yards, 1 TD |
| UGA | Receiving | George Pickens | 7 receptions, 135 yards, 1 TD |
| CIN | Passing | Desmond Ridder | 24/37, 206 yards, 2 TD |
| CIN | Rushing | Jerome Ford | 8 carries, 98 yards, 1 TD |
| CIN | Receiving | Michael Young Jr. | 4 receptions, 59 yards |
See Also:Georgia vs. Cincinnati Box Score
Source for Match-up Records:

## Personnel
### Depth chart

Defense :
* NK
* Arquon Bush
* Taj Ward
* FS
* James Wiggins
* Bryan Cook
| WLB | MLB | SLB |
| Darrian Beavers | Joel Dublanko | Jarell White |
| Brody Ingle | Wilson Huber | Ty Van Fossen OR Deshawn Pace |
* SS
* Darrick Forrest
* Ja'von Hicks
* Jacob Dingle
* CB
* Coby Bryant
* Justin Harris
| DE | NT | DE |
| Myjai Sanders | Curtis Brooks | Elijah Ponder |
| Malik Vann | Marcus Brown OR Jabari Taylor | Ethan Tucky OR Michael Pitts |
* CB
* Sauce Gardner
* Ja'Quan Sheppard
Offense :
* WR
* Michael Young Jr.
* Tyler Scott
* WR
* Alec Pierce OR Jordan Jones
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| James Hudson | Dylan O’Quinn OR Jeremy Cooper | Jake Renfro OR Jakari Robinson | Vincent McConnell | Darius Harper |
| Lorenz Metz | | Zach Hummel | Colin Woodside | John Williams |
* TE
* Leonard Taylor
* Josh Whyle OR Cam Jones
* WR
* Jayshon Jackson
* Tre Tucker
* Jadon Thompson
* QB
* Desmond Ridder
* RB
* Gerrid Doaks
* Jerome Ford OR Ryan Montgomery

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
| AP | 20 | 20* | 13 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
| Coaches | 22 | 22* | 14 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | Not released |

## Awards and milestones

American Athletic Conference Weekly Awards :
| Player | Award | Date Awarded |
| Jarell White | Defensive Player of the Week | September 30, 2020 |
| Desmond Ridder | Offensive Player of the Week | October 26, 2020 |
| Desmond Ridder | Offensive Player of the Week | November 2, 2020 |
| Myjai Sanders | Defensive Player of the Week | November 2, 2020 |
| Desmond Ridder | Offensive Player of the Week | November 16, 2020 |
| Jarell White | Co-defensive Player of the Week | November 16, 2020 |
| Desmond Ridder | Co-offensive Player of the Week | November 23, 2020 |
Walter Camp Football Foundation FBS Weekly Awards :
| Player | Award | Date Awarded | Ref. |
| Desmond Ridder | Offensive Player of the Week | October 25, 2020 | |
| Jarell White | Defensive Player of the Week | November 15, 2020 | |
NCAA Recognized All-American :
| Player | AP | AFCA | FWAA |
| Sauce Gardner | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| James Wiggins | 2 | | |
| The NCAA recognizes a selection to all five of the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN and WCFF first teams for unanimous selections and three of five for consensus selections. |
Other All-American Honors :
| Player | Athletic | Athlon | BR | CBS Sports | CFN | ESPN | Fox Sports | Phil Steele | SI | USA Today | Ref. |
| Sauce Gardner | 2 | | | | | | | 1 | | 1 | |
| James Wiggins | 1 | | | | | | | 4 | | | |
All-AAC :
| Player | Position | Team |
| James Hudson | OT | 1 |
| Desmond Ridder | QB | 1 |
| Gerrid Doaks | RB | 1 |
| Myjai Sanders | DL | 1 |
| Jarell White | LB | 1 |
| Sauce Gardner | CB | 1 |
| Coby Bryant | CB | 1 |
| James Wiggins | S | 1 |
| Michael Young Jr. | WR | 2 |
| Josh Whyle | TE | 2 |
| Marcus Brown | DL | 2 |
| Elijah Ponder | DL | 2 |
| Darrian Beavers | LB | 2 |
| James Smith | P | 2 |
| Tre Tucker | RS | 2 |
| Darrick Forrest | S | HM |
| Darius Harper | OT | HM |
| Reference: ||||

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 4 | 110 | James Hudson | OT | Cleveland Browns |
| 5 | 163 | Darrick Forrest | S | Washington Football Team |
| 7 | 243 | James Wiggins | S | Arizona Cardinals |
| 7 | 244 | Gerrid Doaks | RB | Miami Dolphins |