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Editor’s note: This article was originally published by USA TODAY Sports and has been republished in its entirety below.
Cincinnati’s ascent into the College Football Playoff race is getting hard to ignore. The Bearcats keep dominating a schedule full of quality teams and doesn’t looking like they’re slowing down soon.
While there may not be any top-tier teams in the American Athletic to match Power Five conferences, there are enough quality opponents to boost Cincinnati’s profile. The Big 12 is already without an unbeaten team and the Pac-12 is scheduled to play four fewer games against a schedule that isn’t much different than the American.
For now, Oregon holds the fourth position behind Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State. More will be known when the Ducks finally take the field Saturday, but the Bearcats are absolutely in the thick of the race.
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Another game that likely will shape the debate is this week’s showdown between Georgia and Florida. The winner will likely play in the SEC championship game and could still be an at-large contender with two losses or create some chaos by beating likely opponent Alabama.
There was some movement at the top this week. Losses by Oklahoma State and Michigan knocked them out of the New Year’s Six with Oklahoma and Texas A&M moving in.
The bowl lineup for this postseason stands at 37 games with the status of the Las Vegas Bowl uncertain. Teams in bold have accepted berths.
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