The Most Underrated Thing Was …
Is Cincinnati good again?
The split-second the final gun went off and a strong Arkansas team survived Cincinnati 31-24 in the season opener, America totally memory dumped the team that made it to the College Football Playoff last year.
And why not? There was a total overhaul of talent, and the repeat playoff shot was over before the season started.
Beating Kennesaw State and Miami University barely generated a sideways glance, and then Indiana came to town.
Yeah, it’s just Indiana, but it was 3-0, had a nice comeback win over a solid Illinois team, and it’s still the Big Ten coming into Cincinnati’s house.
There were no issues, it was 38-10 at halftime, Ben Bryant threw for 354 yards and four scores, and the defense did its part in the 45-24 win.
Again, no, this isn’t the 2021 Cincinnati team. There was no running game against IU, and this team isn’t close to as talented.
The Mountain West has been a disaster, the MAC is over, Conference USA never got started, and the Sun Belt is busy picking itself apart. That leaves the door open for the New Year’s Six slot that has to go to the top CFP-ranked Group of Five champion there for Cincinnati’s taking.
At the very least, this win over Indiana set a tone. Going to UCF on October 29th might be a big deal, and it’s still possible the American Athletic Conference championship might mean something.
Cincinnati is just okay. This year, for that New Year’s Six spot, that might be enough.
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