Group of Five New Year’s Six Watch, Week 6: Cincinnati won weekend

This week’s Group of FIve watch brings the loss of a member and a new member of the Watch. The Army Corps traveled to Muncie, Ind., and were upset by the Ball State Cardinals 28-16. In the first quarter, the Cardinals jumped out on the Black Knights 21-0 and held on for the victory.

That loss has all but eliminated the Black Knights from contention for the New Year’s Six. So, their Watch has ended. When one falls, another rises to the occasion. The SMU Mustangs have joined the Watch this week.

After the first month of the season, it is apparent that the front runners for the New Year’s Six are the BYU Cougars and the Cincinnati Bearcats. If BYU runs the table, they could be considered the de facto Pac-12 South champions.

The Bearcats are coming off of what head coach Luke Fickell has called the biggest win in program history against Notre Dame this past weekend. It is going to be difficult for any team to catch either the Bearcats or the Cougars.

In addition to a Pac-12 heavy schedule, the Cougars also play Baylor and Virginia. Though Cincinnati does not have a Power Five opponent left, they potentially have one more ranked opponent left in SMU.

So get ready. New Year’s is coming.