So, the No. 8 University of Cincinnati Bearcats (9-0) fell short of the College Football Playoff and somehow fell a spot from their initial No. 7 ranking despite going undefeated en route to the American Athletic Conference championship. As a result, The Bearcats will face No. 9 Georgia in the Peach Bowl at noon on New Year's Day.
Most people didn't expect the Bearcats to make the CFP, especially after getting dropped in the rankings in consecutive weeks while being idle due to COVID-19 concerns, but falling behind two-loss Oklahoma (Big 12 champion) and three-loss Florida sent a clear message that schools outside the NCAA's "Power 5" conferences (Big 10, Big 12, ACC, SEC, Pac-12) have no shot.