Cincinnati Football: Are the Bearcats being judged too harshly?

Is Cincinnati football being judged too harshly by the College Football Playoff selection committee? 

The Cincinnati football team has been vying for a playoff spot since day one this season. Many thought its hopes were very high to squeeze into the College Football Playoffs.

We all knew the Bearcats’ lack of schedule strength would come into play. And it did. A little too harshly some believe as the Bearcats ended up in 6th place.

Cincinnati is 8-0 this season and look like it will go undefeated the rest of the year. Did the Bearcats deserve a playoff spot? It’s a question circling at the top in College Football today since the news came out. Were the bearcats judged too harshly? Many feel they were.

The Bearcats were not even on the edge of the bubble on the outside looking in. They were bumped a whole other spot. If we are talking about strength of schedule being the only reason does Ohio State deserve a No. 5 ranking?

The Buckeyes have a 7-1 record with a strength of schedule that is once again not stellar. The only ranked team they have beaten this year was against Penn State, ranked 20th at the time, and that was a narrow margin of victory.

The only other nationally-ranked team they’ve played was a loss in week 2 against Oregon. The Ducks won 35-28. If we want to go by strength of schedule there were many more deserving teams over Ohio State who should be in that  No 5 spot.

Using strength of schedule for who is put into the playoffs is fair, but it’s time to start using it for all teams. Have that same energy for teams like Ohio State who time and time we’ve seen get in and not deserve it.

The Oregon Ducks at No. 4 — do they have what you’d call a top-tier schedule? With wins against teams like Stony Brook and Colorado not so much. Besides the victory against Ohio State their next biggest win was at UCLA, only a 5-4 team. And the margin of victory was three points.

Cincinnati not only has an undefeated record, but they beat No. 9 Notre Dame on the road winning 24-13. A team that was also put into the playoffs last year with not-so-great strength of schedule.

It is really heartbreaking for the Cincinnati football team. The Bearcats have done everything they can this season and it still wasn’t enough, beating a Big 10 team and a top 10 school.

Things will change when they join the Big 12. The committee will then have to find a new excuse to keep them out, or finally do what’s right and give them the respect they deserve.

This is the sad truth. Treating them as if they should be happy to even be in the conversation. The Bearcats have had a good program for a while now. They aren’t some flash in the pan team coming out of nowhere to have an undefeated record. A team like Coastal Carolina, if they were still undefeated would make sense to be disrespected in this way. They haven’t proven themselves and can’t hang with the big boys. The Bearcats have proven they can.

It is still not over for the Bearcats, but they would need a little help to crack into the top. One way they get in is if Georgia continues to dominate the SEC and beat Alabama in the SEC Championship. However if Auburn continues to win the rest of their games and overtake the Crimson Tide for the SEC West title that becomes a problem for Cincinnati.

In the Big Ten either Ohio State or Michigan State will have to drop off when one of them wins the Big Ten Championship. That will allow the Bearcats to rise higher. All of these things have to work together just to give them a chance at a playoff berth.

Quarterback Desmond Ridder respectfully declined to address any comments about it.

Cincinnati football is focused on its game Saturday against Tulsa. The Bearcats can only do what they can do to control their destiny. Tulsa comes into Nippert Stadium at 3:30 PM on ESPN2 where the Bearcats will continue their run to get into the CFP.