College Football Predictions: From Michigan to New Year Six, Cincinnati Must Look in the Playoff Team

It was the second weekend when a couple of top 10 teams lost, but we’ll get to that in a moment. First, let’s discuss one particular team that is still in my College Football playoff predictions right now, and how the CFP Selection Committee will evaluate it: Cincinnati.

The Bearcats finished sixth in the first CFP Rankings, released on Tuesday night, and there was the usual tone and cry of its mistreatment as a non-Power Five school. Unfortunately for the Bearcats, except for that big win at Notre Dame, it’s like committee chairman Gary Barta said, “Who else did they win?”

No one is noteworthy. The rest of Cincinnati’s schedule is pretty bad, and that was true before the Tulsa score added up. In fact, given that the Navy (2-7), Tulane (1-8) and one of the most disappointing teams of the season in Indiana (2-7) are already involved, Tulsa may have been an update.

However, style points matter. They’ve always mattered, and Cincinnati didn’t play well against Navy, Tulane, and Tulsa. In fact, the Bearcats could have lost a couple of these matches, and it will definitely be played against them.

This level of the game needs to change. Cincinnati has to look like a playoff team every time it takes the rest of the field if it really wants to be one. There is nothing wrong with a 52-7 win that a 59-7 win would not improve. Want to play with people like Alabama? Win these teams like Alabama would do.

However, I have to draw the line to Barta’s specific comment on Tuesday night’s post-release media call. On Tulane, he commented that Green Wave “ran effectively against the ball [the Bearcats]. They started a freshman QB. ”

Who cares if Tulane ran the ball well? Tulane made a total of 280 yards in this game and had an average of 403 yards gone into it. Does it matter that 187 yards came to earth? Would the committee have felt better if Cincinnati had given up 93 yards in a hurry and 187 yards in overtaking? Also, the two teams ahead of Cincinnati in the rankings will start the freshmen quarterback. I’m not claiming that Tulanen QB measures, but the age of the opponent’s quarterback shouldn’t matter.

Another problem in last week’s CFP Rankings explanation was not related to Cincinnati. Barta and CFP CEO Bill Hancock have insisted that “game management” is not a factor; However, in that Tuesday call, when Barta was asked about Notre Dame, he had this to say about last week’s game. “I’m just using this game from last week as an example, at halftime [sic] North Carolina, the game was 17-13. “

Half time result. That’s all he mentioned. So the half-time result is relevant, and it’s “game management” whether they use the term or not. That is definitely a factor for the committee, which means that yes, teams need to be concerned about their half-time results. They should also be concerned about the results for the end of the first quarter and probably 6:23 for the results for the third quarter. That is not enough to win. The message here is that it is better to score early than late to get the same result. This really shouldn’t matter.

I assume the committee will be more pleased with Notre Dame’s 17-3 lead this week at halftime against Navy, but may keep this 3-0 loss at the end of the first quarter against Fighting Irish. And yes, that sentence is as ridiculous as it sounds. Barta did not respond to a request for comment.

In this week’s predictions, the only change among the New Year’s six teams came when Kentucky fell to Tennessee at home after a defeat. This is the Wildcats ’third consecutive loss after a 6-0 start-up series. For them now, there is no realistic way back to the New Year’s six games.

The Wildcats are replaced by Michigan, who defeated Indiana 29-7. Wolverines ’path to New Year’s Sixth Game isn’t easy, as they still have games in Penn State and at home in Ohio State. However, if they share the two, Michigan has a good chance in New Year’s Sixth.

Purdue’s victory over Michigan State doesn’t change Spartans ’prediction as Big Ten’s representative in the Rose Bowl. Nor does it change their chances of accessing the Common Fisheries Policy. If Sparty could win, which would include a road win in Ohio State, it would be the lock in place for the top four.

College Football Playoffs

New Year’s Six bowl games

This week, there are only two under 500 teams in the predictions, Hawaii and Missouri. The number is starting to fall, but I’m not optimistic that it will disappear altogether. There are currently 49 teams eligible for the bowl, so we still have three weeks to get there.

Can’t see your team? See other updated bowl projections by Jerry Palm.