2. The College Football Playoff committee is mean (not really)
Cincinnati isn’t getting into the College Football Playoff.
Even if it beats Tulsa twice, at the end of the day – or the end of the rankings process – the absence of any Power Five wins should be just enough to be a rock-hard ceiling to bust through.
Cincinnati doesn’t get in over an unbeaten or one-loss ACC, Big Ten or SEC champion.
It doesn’t get in over a one-loss Notre Dame that loses the ACC Championship, or a one-loss Alabama if that loss is in the SEC Championship, or Texas A&M if it finishes with just the one loss to Alabama.
It probably doesn’t get in over a Miami team if it finishes with just one loss to Clemson, and an argument could be made that it wouldn’t deserve to get in over Northwestern if it gets to the Big Ten Championship unbeaten, and then plays well in a loss to Ohio State.
It would be interesting to see the Bearcats get their shot – to a point, I’m more for an unbeaten team get a chance over team that had its shot and sort of blew it – but it’s not happening.
The College Football Playoff committee showed Cincinnati a picture of the Thanksgiving turkey with the No. 7 ranking, but it won’t let it eat.
– Rapid-Fire First Reaction
– This week’s big whiff
– The known unknown
– What it all really means