Cincinnati Bearcats enter CFP rankings for first time this season
The Cincinnati Bearcats are back in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Cincinnati re-entered the rankings at No. 25 Tuesday night following its 27-25 win over East Carolina Friday night at Nippert Stadium. It's the Bearcats' first appearance in the rankings since finishing last season at No. 4 and becoming the first Group of Five team to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.
UC lost to top-ranked Alabama in last season's CFP Cotton Bowl semifinal.
The highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion in the final CFP rankings will play in a New Year's Six bowl, specifically the Cotton Bowl, where the Bearcats lost to the Crimson Tide a season ago. Cincinnati (8-2, 5-1 American Athletic Conference) sits behind AAC foes Central Florida (No. 20) and Tulane (No. 21) in the CFP rankings.
UCF (8-2, 5-1) sits at the top of the AAC standings, followed by the Bearcats. Tulane (8-2, 5-1) is third. In order to reach the Cotton Bowl, Cincinnati needs to win the rest of its games to capture its third straight AAC championship. The Bearcats play Temple (3-7, 1-5) on Saturday in Philadelphia (4 p.m. on ESPNU), followed by a showdown against Tulane on Nov. 25 at Nippert Stadium.
Winning out would set the Bearcats up for a rematch against UCF in Orlando for the AAC championship on Dec. 3 as long as UCF wins out. Cincinnati lost 25-21 at UCF on Oct. 29.
The final CFP rankings will be released on Dec. 4.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati football: Bearcats re-enter CFP rankings
