Scott Satterfield reveals how he plans to handle awkward bowl situation

New University of Cincinnati head football coach Scott Satterfield speaks during a press conference at the University of Cincinnati’s Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. Satterfield holds a 76-48 record as a head coach at the University of Louisville and Appalachian State.
Bearcats Football Scott Satterfield

Scott Satterfield was named the new head coach at Cincinnati on Monday, but the new job came with a pretty awkward caveat.

The Bearcats hired Satterfield away from Louisville, the team Cincinnati is set to face in the inaugural Fenway Bowl on Dec. 17. Essentially, Satterfield’s new team will be playing against the team he just left.

So how does Satterfield plan to handle this? By staying as far away from the bowl game as possible, focusing instead on recruiting for Cincinnati and maybe watching on television.

Scott Satterfield says he will not attend Fenway Bowl between Cincinnati & Louisville.

"This is kind of awkward. That's why I'm stepping away from anything with bowl prep…I'm going to be hosting families and recruits. Now, we may be sitting in front of a TV and watching it."

— Justin Williams (@Williams_Justin) December 5, 2022

“This is kind of awkward. That’s why I’m stepping away from anything with bowl prep,” Satterfield admitted Monday.

This is the right call, as Satterfield’s presence would overshadow things for both teams. The last thing he would want is to pose a distraction to both his new team and his old one.

At least Satterfield is upfront about the weirdness. As other coaches have shown us, departures can sometimes be a lot messier than this one seems to be.