The 2006 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team, coached by Mark Dantonio, played its home games in Nippert Stadium, as it has since 1923. This was Dantonio's last season with the Bearcats as he became head coach of Michigan State. The 2006 season was the start of Cincinnati's most successful run in college football. While not great by any means, the team is credited for laying down the foundation for future success particularly the 2009 and 2021 seasons in which the teams went undefeated and played in a BCS bowl and the college football playoffs. A number of players who played at UC since this time have gone on to the NFL including Tony Pike, Marshwan Gilyard, and .