It sounds like the Cincinnati Bearcats are cooked when it comes to making the College Football Playoff.
The first playoff rankings of the year were released Tuesday night, and the committee put the 8-0 Bearcats at six. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
That means that even if Cincy wins out, which is likely, it’ll be very hard for them to crack the top four.
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To make matters worse, CFP chairman Gary Barta went on ESPN and said that Cincy simply hadn’t played anyone other than Notre Dame.
CFP chairman Gary Barta on ESPN: “The committee has great respect for Cincinnati. The win at Notre Dame was a really impressive win. … Who else did they beat?”
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 2, 2021
As of right now, the best game remaining on the schedule for the Bearcats is unranked SMU. So, they won’t even have the chance to beat a good team.
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Now, could enough chaos unfold over the coming weeks that Cincy breaks into the top four? Sure, but it would require a ton of chaos.
Cincinnati is No. 2 in the AP Poll, but No. 6 in the initial CFP rankings.
It matches the lowest CFP ranking for any team ranked top-2 in the AP Poll at any point (2015 Baylor). pic.twitter.com/Sj1rDXhQln
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 2, 2021
Every other team in the top four will have to beat good teams down the stretch to hold onto their spot. It’s borderline impossible to see a situation unfolding where Cincy jumps anyone, outside of an all out collapse at the top of the rankings.
The committee is sending a clear message, and the message is that G5 teams simply don’t play the necessary schedule to deserve a playoff spot.
The top 6️⃣
Thoughts? #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/UPVB1k2OlA
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 2, 2021
We’ll see what happens through November and early December, but it definitely looks like Cincy’s postseason dreams are cooked.