College Football New Year’s Six Watch, Week 10: A legit playoff argument?
By Dante Pryor
This week on college football’s NY6 watch nothing much moved. Cincinnati continues to prove it’s the class of the Group of Five but is it playoff-worthy?
Welcome back to the watch. This week, we pontificate on the playoff chances of Group of Five programs. The playoff, by design, was to find the four best teams in the country, with teams in the Group of Five conferences thought of as a different football class. This has not been a normal year, however. If there is any year a Group of Five team would have an argument, it is this year.
The BYU Cougars might not have an argument for the national semifinal, but they could be in the running for an at-large bid to one of the big six bowl games. Despite the weak schedule, the Cougars have absolutely dominated the competition this season.
The Liberty Flames are one of the more intriguing teams on this list. Virtually unknown at the beginning of the year, Liberty is undefeated and own a Power Five win this season against Syracuse. Although the Flames have two FCS schools on their schedule, there are three Power Five schools on the same schedule.
Coastal Carolina is one of the best stories in college football. A relative newcomer to FBS football, the Chanticleers are off to their best start in school history and have a Power Five win (yes, Kansas counts) and a win over a ranked team. They are the alphas in the Sun Belt and could hold another ranked victory if Liberty continues to win.
The Bearcats, like BYU, do not own a Power Five win. However, Cincinnati plays in the best conference in the Group of Five. It is a foregone conclusion that the Bearcats are in the NY6 if they win the AAC. Could they slide in the No. 4 slot in the national semifinal with some chaos? Maybe.
It is hard to see many Power Five teams — specifically conference champions — with two or more losses. The best case scenario for the Group of Five and the watch is Cincinnati is the New Year’s Six representative, and either Liberty and BYU receive an at-large bid.
Here is a closer look at the watch.