It's finally here.
On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bearcats will learn whether its magical season was enough to punch a ticket into the College Football Playoff. The Bearcats would become the first team outside of a power five conference to be placed in the playoff if selected.
The Bearcats, who finished undefeated in the regular season, became the first non-power-five team to earn a spot inside the College Football Playoff committee's top four on Nov. 23.
Here's a look at how the CFP has ranked the Bearcats so far this season:
- Week 1, Nov. 2 — 6
- Week 2, Nov. 9 — 5
- Week 3, Nov. 16 — 5
- Week 4, Nov. 23 — 4
- Week 5, Nov. 30 — 4
Cincinnati's final ranking this season may also become a bellwether of how teams outside the power five are perceived by the committee and if they will remain inside the current CFP system or branch out into a separate postseason.
Last season when Cincinnati dropped to No. 8 in the CFP's final ranking after an undefeated finish, American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco blasted the committee's decision to leave the Bearcats out of the playoff, citing an unfair system that protects and grants privilege to power five teams.
"I never thought I'd say it. But if this continues, bring back the BCS and the computers because it would be a fairer system than what I'm seeing now," Aresco said at the time on SEC Network's The Paul Finebaum Show following the release of the final rankings. "This is the seventh year (of the CFP), and it does appear the deck is stacked against us and against other (non-Power Five teams)."
Here's how to watch the final CFP selection show:
When: Sunday, Dec. 5
Time: noon (ET)
Where: ESPN, ESPN app, FuboTV
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