College Football Rankings 2021: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 2

Cincinnati entered 2021 with the highest ranking ever handed out to a Group of Five team in the preseason AP Top 25 during the College Football Playoff era. The Bearcats will continue to sit at No. 8 after their comprehensive demolition of Miami University in their season opener at Nippert Stadium. The win sets up Luke Fickell’s team well for bigger tests in the coming weeks.

Desmond Ridder looked great returning at quarterback, completing 80 percent of his passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns. Jerome Ford led the way on the ground, rushing for 121 yards and a score on just a dozen carries. Seven different Bearcats scored Cincinnati’s seven touchdowns, as they showcased their full array of weapons right away.

On the other side of the ball, the Bearcats defense kept the RedHawks from building up any hope in the opener. Miami managed to gain fewer than 300 total yards of offense, and one of their two touchdowns came late in the game when John Saunders Jr. returned Evan Prater’s only pass for a 32-yard interception return.

FCS Murray State comes to Cincinnati next week, giving Fickell’s squad one more opportunity to prep themselves ahead of back-to-back tests against Indiana and Notre Dame. Those two games will define whether the Bearcats are College Football Playoff contenders or merely pretenders renting time in the top 10 of the AP Top 25.