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Butch Jones' cell phone is busy these days.
Former players are sending messages of encouragement to Cincinnati's new head coach, reminding him that his first few games at Central Michigan didn't go so well, either.
''It's amazing,'' Jones said. ''I've had about 30 kids from Central Michigan call me or text me and say, `Remember that turning point, coach?' We've been through that. Our system, the way we play, the way we practice, what we believe in, the way we recruit - it works.''
Not yet in Cincinnati.
When Jones left Central Michigan after three successful seasons and replaced Brian Kelly in Cincinnati, there were expectations of a seamless transition. After all, Jones had succeeded Kelly at Central Michigan - even moved into his old house - and raised that program to an even higher level.
Both prefer high-scoring, spread offenses. They share similar football philosophies. Cincinnati was coming off two straight Big East titles and an undefeated regular season that culminated in a loss to Florida in the Sugar Bowl when Kelly left for Notre Dame.
Should be a smooth transition, right?
Seldom is. Cincinnati's start is a reminder that these transitions are tricky.
Three games into the season, Cincinnati already has twice as many losses as last season heading into a game Saturday against No. 8 Oklahoma (3-0) at Paul Brown Stadium. Almost overnight, the Bearcats (1-2) have dropped out of the national conversation.
''If you look at the world of college football, it's very fragile,'' Jones said. ''Winning's very fragile. And that's something you can't take for granted.''
They no longer do on their urban campus, where everyone is stunned by the sudden fall. The Bearcats lost at Fresno State 28-14, struggled to beat Indiana State at home, then lost at North Carolina State 30-19 for their worst start since 2006, the year before Kelly arrived.
''Losing is not acceptable,'' said junior Zach Collaros, who had never lost a game as a starting quarterback in high school or college until this season. ''It's not what you ever want to become accustomed to. Everyone is taking it hard.''
The Bearcats knew they weren't going to duplicate what they did last season, when they pulled out several improbable wins on their way to a 12-0 regular season and a No. 3 ranking in the final BCS standings. They lost quarterback Tony Pike and receiver/returner Mardy Gilyard, the two main players in their high-energy offense, to the NFL.
Jones inherited a defense that has no senior starters. Collaros started four games last season when Pike was hurt and won them all, but an overhauled offensive line has struggled to protect him. Cincinnati has given up 15 sacks, matching its total for all of last season.
There are new schemes on offense and defense, new players in new roles, new routines in practice. And Kelly left his successor with a tough opening stretch of games.
The offense took a couple of big hits when receiver Vidal Hazelton - expected to replace Gilyard - tore an ACL in the opener. Ben Guidugli severely sprained an ankle against North Carolina State, sidelining one of the nation's top tight ends indefinitely.
It's made for some very rough days.
''It's always a transition when you get a new coach or a new system,'' junior linebacker J.K. Schaffer said. ''We don't want to use that as an excuse, but I think we'll start playing a lot better when we get used to the transition.''
Jones sees a lot of parallels to when he took over for Kelly at Central Michigan in 2007. The Chippewas opened that season with a 52-7 loss at Kansas, a win over Toledo, then blowout losses to Purdue and North Dakota State. That became the turning point - Central Michigan won its next three, putting up 35, 58 and 47 points.
''It's the exact same situation,'' Jones said.
One big difference: Jones has a lot more pressure at Cincinnati, which has invested a lot of money in its football program to build upon the recent success. The Bearcats moved into a new on-campus practice complex this month, a perk made possible by the Big East titles.
The 1-2 start has already hurt. There's a palpable decline in the program's image around town.
''I guess you could say some people have lost interest because of the way we started the season,'' Schaffer said.
The team senses it. Jones is spending a lot of time trying to keep his players' spirits up during their unaccustomed month of misery.
''Obviously we have some individuals on our team and our coaches that are going through emotions that they haven't experienced in a number of years,'' Jones said. ''I've met with a bunch of the kids individually. We've had a lot of team meetings, and they've responded the way I would like them to respond. They hurt, but it's time to move on.''
