Whicker: Cincinnati proves the College Football Playoff is no closed shop

The University of Cincinnati had 7 caput shot coaches betwixt 1969 and 1993. One near for Harvard. Another near for Rice.

The Bearcats besides won 1 league title betwixt 1964 and 2008 and if you’re not instantly definite which conference, don’t worry. There were several.

Everyone tin triumph successful basketball. Gonzaga proved that. Not everyone tin triumph successful football, oregon astatine slightest crook winning into a championship.

When Cincinnati was buzzed into the College Football Playoff connected Sunday, it repudiated the past plausible disapproval of the CFP.

A “Group of Five,” oregon Triple-A, league tin so triumph it all. It takes a small extra, sure, but it’s not a closed shop.

When Cincinnati went to 13-0 with its American Conference title triumph implicit Houston, a Bearcats’ instrumentality held a motion that said, “Power Five Is An Opinion. 13-0 Is Fact.” This became imaginable with a 24-13 triumph implicit Notre Dame, which was undefeated otherwise.

That’s each the selection committee demanded of the Group of Fives. Win each your games, docket a elephantine and slay it. The 2015 UCF squad that went unbeaten and knocked disconnected Auburn successful the Peach Bowl did not person that gleaming regular-season breakthrough.

Plus, Cincinnati had gained credibility, close oregon wrong, by taking Georgia to the past 3 seconds of past year’s Sugar Bowl, a 24-21 loss. The Bearcats person won 23 of their past 24 games.

Such New Year’s Six bowls arsenic the Sugar past year, with each the money, is however the CFP bought disconnected the Group of Five and recognized their viability. A abrupt powerhouse similar Cincinnati shouldn’t beryllium held liable for the authorities of its conference. But neither should it beryllium capable to cruise into the throne country portion stronger league runners-up are near behind.

That means Cincinnati had to thread an highly constrictive needle, and knew it good successful advance. Thanks to a roster that is projected to nonstop astatine slightest 5 players into the archetypal 3 rounds of the NFL draft, it did.

Ask Pittsburgh if it’s casual to spell undefeated. The Panthers are celebrating an ACC Championship triumph implicit Wake Forest and are besides crestfallen erstwhile they recognize they were 11-2 with losses to Central Michigan and Miami, some astatine home. If they triumph those 2 chippies, they’re successful the playoff.

There were immoderate who screamed that Notre Dame should someway regenerate Georgia aft the Bulldogs imploded successful the SEC Championship, but that was conscionable honkery. Georgia gave up 83 points successful 12 regular play games and was 5-0 against teams that were ranked astatine the time, including Clemson successful the opener. Notre Dame bushed 2 ranked teams.

Alabama bushed 5 ranked teams, won an SEC West that serves arsenic assemblage football’s toughest minefield, and lone mislaid astatine Texas A&M by 3 points.

The Big Ten East is similar, and Michigan bushed Ohio State and Penn State and lone mislaid to Michigan State by four.

The SEC has 2 teams successful the playoff for the 2nd time. That seems astir right. There were galore reasons, possibly 100 million, for Lincoln Riley to go USC’s coach, but 1 was Oklahoma’s avaricious determination to bolt the Big 12 for the SEC.

There was nary crushed for Oklahoma to butt heads with the SEC West, peculiarly erstwhile the Sooners would person to enlistee successful SEC territory, a spot they person nary roots oregon wide advantage.

There was nary taste transportation either. Why should Oklahoma beryllium successful the aforesaid league with Florida oregon Kentucky, particularly erstwhile it affects thriving secondary sports similar shot and volleyball?

This mightiness go an contented if and erstwhile TCU and Houston articulation the Pac-12, but Oklahoma’s SEC determination was a fait accompli, and coaches similar Riley don’t get overmuch input.

Meanwhile, college shot moves connected without a coagulated expansion plan. Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said that it isn’t apt a program volition beryllium approved by 2024, and the CFP declaration expires successful 2025. Any alteration indispensable beryllium approved by 10 league commissioners and Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick.

That’s bully quality for those who judge successful the champion regular play successful sports and were riveted connected Nov. 27 by 10 hours of Ohio State-Michigan, Alabama-Auburn and Oklahoma-Oklahoma State.

A 12-team playoff format would person robbed each those games of their underlying foodstuff and crook assemblage shot into assemblage basketball, wherever the lone truly important time is Selection Sunday.

This way, each crippled truly does count, and the play is simply a 12-game tightrope.

Meanwhile, the Big 12 is expanding by 4 teams. One is Cincinnati, nary aboriginal than July of 2024.

More Power-Five to the Bearcats. They lived the American dream.