College Football’s New Year’s 6 Watch, Week 12: Cincinnati a lock?

College football games in the Sun Belt and AAC could determine conference title game participants while Liberty seeks to go 3-0 against the ACC.

Welcome to a special edition of the watch. This edition takes a look at some key games this weekend. Every team that has entrenched themselves in the watch for the last month has made it to this point in the season, and at this point, three members of the watch have games that will determine their place in the postseason.

In the Sun Belt, Coastal Carolina has a big game against Appalachian State. The Mountaineers have owned the Sun Belt since joining the conference in 2014 winning four conference titles in a row. This weekend the Mountaineers and Chanticleers come into this game undefeated. The winner plays for the Sun Belt conference championship. For the Chants, a win keeps their New Year’s Six hopes alive.

In the American, familiar foes Cincinnati and UCF face off once again with AAC title implications. In 2018, the Knights eliminated the Bearcats from AAC title contention, last season the Bearcats returned the favor. This year, the Knights look to play spoiler to Cincinnati’s AAC, New Year’s Six and faint national semifinal hopes alive.

Being a football independent not named Notre Dame puts you in an odd space. You belong neither to the Power Five or the Group of Five. Teams are categorized by their schedule. For Liberty, going 3-0 against the ACC could give the Flames the resume they need to solidify an at-large New Year’s bowl. For North Carolina State, they simply do not want to be the answer to a trivia question.

Let’s take a closer look at the teams on the watch and three critical games in the Group of Five.