The University of Cincinnati Bearcats rank No. 6 in the first 2021 College Football Playoff rankings announced Tuesday night, the highest ranking for a team outside the Power 5 conferences during the CFP era.
The rankings were announced during the first of six CFP rankings shows on ESPN. The final rankings - revealing the four teams that will play in the CFP semifinals - are scheduled to be announced Sun., Dec. 5 at noon.
The 8-0 Bearcats are looking to become the first Group of 5 team invited to the CFP semifinals to take place Fri., Dec. 31, with the national championship game being played Mon., Jan. 10, in Indianapolis.
UC is ranked No. 2 in both the Associated Press Top 25 poll and the USA TODAY Sports AFCA coaches poll. The Bearcats have four regular-season games remaining on their schedule. The top two American Athletic Conference teams in the final single-division regular-season standings will meet Dec. 4 in the AAC Football Championship.
Social media reactions:
The Enquirer's Keith Jenkins wrote earlier that UC's overall résumé may not stack up to some other Power Five teams, but exclusion of the Bearcats in the committee's first top four could delegitimize the entire selection process. Jenkins wrote Tuesday night that UC quarterback Desmond Ridder said he was invited to appear on the ESPN broadcast to speak on behalf of the Bearcats but "respectfully passed."
The Enquirer's Paul Daugherty wrote Tuesday morning that he's afraid UC's football legacy during this era of big Bearcats achievement will be, "They were the team that made it most obvious the need for an expanded playoff."
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