It's hard to say Friday night was a culmination. After all, Cincinnati still has seven games to play in the 2019 season.

That's not to downplay the significance of the Bearcats' 27-24 win over Central Florida. That ended the Knights' 19-game winning streak in the AAC. It also put Cincinnati in the driver's seat to reach the conference title game, having now moved ahead of the team that won the last two AAC championships.

But for coach Luke Fickell, who has spoken plenty about the significance of the game in the time since, it was another positive sign. It's easy to forget now, that just one month ago today, the Bearcats were picked apart and run over by Ohio State 42-0.

"Energy is the biggest thing," Fickell said Monday on the weekly AAC teleconference. "We were 2-1 and sitting there probably not with a whole lot of energy in our program. And I couldn't exactly tell you why, but I think throughout the bye week and some things, our guys found just, some energy. It's not just the bye week, but your ability to come in here every day and start to really enjoy the work and the things that you're doing."