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College Football: Group of 5 teams with playoff chances in 2021

By Jack Williams

Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell smiles during the championship trophy presentation following the American Athletic Conference championship football game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bearcats won, 27-24.Aac Championship Tulsa Golden Hurricane At Cincinnati Bearcats Football Dec 19
Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell smiles during the championship trophy presentation following the American Athletic Conference championship football game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bearcats won, 27-24.Aac Championship Tulsa Golden Hurricane At Cincinnati Bearcats Football Dec 19 /
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Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell smiles during the championship trophy presentation following the American Athletic Conference championship football game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bearcats won, 27-24.Aac Championship Tulsa Golden Hurricane At Cincinnati Bearcats Football Dec 19
Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell smiles during the championship trophy presentation following the American Athletic Conference championship football game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bearcats won, 27-24.Aac Championship Tulsa Golden Hurricane At Cincinnati Bearcats Football Dec 19 /

Cincinnati Bearcats

This team has everything that a group of 5 team could ask for to get into the College Football Playoff: a great head coach, a strong non-conference schedule, and a lot of returning talent.

Cincinnati is known for its strong defense, but the offense is the unit that will push them over the edge in 2021. They’ll lose their leading rusher in Gerrid Doaks, but gain Alabama grad transfer Jerome Ford.

Their run game could improve with this addition and the pass game should continue to take forward strides with the return of Desmond Ridder. The defense simply has to keep up the same productivity that they’ve showcased for the past couple of years and Cincinnati will be a top-four team.

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In the past three years, Luke Fickell has only lost six games as head coach at Cincinnati. This squad will likely be a preseason top-10 team and if they can beat Notre Dame, Indiana, Tulsa, and UCF, they’ll have the best claim to the College Football Playoff of any G5 since the inception of the playoff.

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