Georgia Tops First CFP Rankings And Cincinnati Never Stood A Chance

We were hoping this year would be different. 

Cincinnati has been one of the best teams in the country since week one — it’s beat two Power 5 schools en route to the No. 2 ranking in the Associated Press poll, leading many to believe that a Group of Five school may finally make its way into the college football playoff conversation. 

How foolish we all were. 

Tuesday evening, the first College Football Playoff rankings were released, and the results are as typical as one could expect. 

Georgia is No.1, one-loss Alabama is No.2, undefeated Michigan State is No.3, and one-loss Oregon comes in at No.4. 

You might be asking yourself, “Where is undefeated Cincinnati?” 

The Bearcats are buried at No. 6 in the rankings, behind a one-loss Ohio State team, with little chance of moving up the rankings with who they have remaining on their schedule. 

The committee wanted to see a Group of Five team have a stronger non-conference schedule. So, Cincinnati went out and played Indiana — from the Big 10 conference — and Notre Dame, both on the road. The Bearcats beat both Power 5 schools, with the win over the Irish being strengthened by Notre Dame’s No. 10 ranking in the playoff poll. 

And yet, none of it matters. Cincinnati does not play in one of the Power 5 conferences, eliminating any real chance of an appearance in the College Football Playoff. 

“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.”

Last year, they said that Cincinnati didn’t play any Power 5 opponents.

This year, Cincinnati played two and beat both. One of those wins is a Top-10 win on the road.

CFP chair Gary Barta: “The win at Notre Dame was a really impressive win. … (But) who else did they beat?”

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 2, 2021

Instead, an Oregon team playing in the pathetic Pac 12 conference sneaks in, giving them an opportunity to win out following a brutal loss to Stanford. The Cardinal are 3-5, including back-to-back losses in recent weeks to Washington State (5-4) and Washington (4-4). Oregon did beat Ohio State on the road — a very impressive win — but is it more impressive than Cincinnati’s win over Notre Dame? Maybe? 

“These rankings,

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