The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season were released on Tuesday night, and Cincinnati was snubbed badly.
The Bearcats, who are ranked No. 2 in both the AP and Coaches’ Polls, were ranked not in the top two, or the top four, or even the top five. Nope, the Bearcats were ranked No. 6 by the CFP despite being 8-0 this season.
Why was Cincinnati ranked so lowly by the CFP committee? The committee isn’t impressed with the Bearcats’ resume.
“The committee has great respect for Cincinnati. The win at Notre Dame was a really impressive win,” committee chairman Gary Barta said on the ESPN rankings show. “But who else did they beat? Looking at the big picture, we feel six is the right spot for Cincinnati.”
Cincinnati’s road win at Notre Dame is reason enough to have them at No. 2. What more does the committee want? The Irish are a top-10 team and have only lost one game all season — at home to the Bearcats. Penalizing them for the rest of their competition not being great is unnecessary. The win at Notre Dame showed Cincinnati belongs with the big boys this season.
The CFP is very much a power-5 event, one that specifically rewards SEC programs. With Georgia and Alabama at Nos. 1 and 2, that opinion seems confirmed. Cincinnati being at No. 6 is just a setup to let us know the committee will do what it can to keep the Bearcats out.
