Born to Steve and Cheri Pike, Tony attended Reading High School, where he was named Cincinnati Division II-III Player of the Year as a senior at football.

Pike also played basketball, helping the Blue Devils win a state title as a junior and reach the regional finals as a senior.

In 2008 college football season, Dustin Grutza was the named the team's starting quarterback following Ben Mauk's failure to gain a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA.

In a 52–26 loss to Oklahoma Sooners, a team that would play for the national championship that season, Grutza broke his ankle and was replaced by Pike.

Against the Zips, Pike broke his arm and was replaced by redshirt freshman Zach Collaros, who led the Bearcats to a 17–15 victory.

Pike threw just six interceptions in 2009, and led the 2009 Bearcats to a 12–0 regular season and second straight outright Big East title.

In week 9 of his rookie season against the New Orleans Saints, Pike made his NFL debut after Clausen (who had replaced an injured Moore earlier in the game) was benched.