College Football New Year’s Six Watch, Week 11: Will Group of 5 invade?

1. Cincinnati Bearcats (6-0, 4-0 AAC)

The Bearcats sit atop the watch and atop the American. Despite the schedule having no Power Five game, Cincinnati will play in the New Year’s Six if they can complete their AAC schedule without a loss and win the conference title. Cincy might even be able to sneak in with a loss, depending on who it is against.

The Bearcats trajectory is what every coach dreams. The defense has been lights out all season. The offense was incrementally better and has peaked during the most difficult part of the season. Desmond Ridder, Gerrid Doaks and the offense have played outstanding against the toughest part of their schedule. The Bearcats are averaging over 40 points per game in their last three.

With an AAC Conference title, should they take the fourth seed in the National Semifinal. The short answer is no, but Cincy could sneak in with lots of help from the Power Five. Their resume is lacking with no Power Five team. However the AAC is the elite conference in the Power Five. On the other hand, I would not want to be the Power Five team that plays Cincinnati in the New Year’s Six.