UCF coach Gus Malzahn expressed his surprise on Monday about Cincinnati’s No. 6 placement in the initial College Football Playoff rankings.
“I thought they’d be No. 2 or No. 3, which they should be,” Malzahn told Yahoo Sports in a phone interview.
Malzahn is uniquely qualified to gauge elite teams, as he served eight seasons as Auburn’s head coach and annually matched up against juggernauts from Alabama, LSU and Georgia.
“I’ve played Georgia and Alabama every year,” Malzahn said. “I know exactly what it looks like. [Cincinnati is] right there. They’re a team that can win the whole thing.