Cincinnati needs help: Even undefeated, the Bearcats are not a lock for the CFP

Does No. 4 Cincinnati (12-0) — the first Group of Five team — have control of its own fate? It says here it doesn't.

First, if No. 7 Oklahoma State (playing No. 10 Oklahoma on Saturday night) and possibly Baylor in the Big 12 championship both win, they will likely jump the Bearcats in the rankings. So Cincinnati needs help.

More: Ohio State showed Michigan State isn't as good as its record

Notre Dame? The Irish lost to Cincinnati at home. Clearly, they need help. Another possible scenario is if Alabama loses a close SEC championship game against Georgia. Does a two-loss Crimson Tide qualify? Before we get to that, 'Bama needs to defeat Auburn on Saturday in the Iron Bowl. Whatever happens, the CFP Committee has a history of showing partiality to the SEC and bias against the Big 12. The loser of Saturday's Ohio State-Michigan game is out with the winner in the CFP top four.

◘James Franklin gets a new 10-year extension at Penn State with a huge raise to $7.5 million in salary plus incentives? Here's a guy who was leveraging supposed reciprocal interest in the open USC job earlier this year. Except the Nittany Lions have gone backwards since their loss at Iowa and are now 7-4, with Michigan State remaining. He's just 2-13 against top-10 competition and 8-9 in the Big Ten the last two years. Is Penn State settling for mediocrity? Penn State wanted to show the world that the outside bidding would never begin for Franklin's services. The reality is they were bidding against themselves.

◘ Nebraska (3-9) led, 21-6, in the third quarter at home and collapsed against Iowa, 28-21. This time it was a blocked punt and a safety. Why is that noteworthy? Because the Huskers became the first team in 20 years to lose nine games by single digits. That's incredible. It also should've signaled the end to coach Scott Frost's tenure but instead he, too, was offered an extension two weeks ago. Unbelievable.

◘Saint Nick is at it again. Alabama coach Nick Saban made some critical remarks about the Crimson Tide faithful. "When I came here, everyone was happy to win a game. Now we're not happy to win at all. We think we should win games by whatever. ... And I don't think that's fair to the players. They're just college students! Give me a break! This is not professional football. These guys aren't getting paid! He called Alabama's fans "self-absorbed folks that can't look past your own self to appreciate what other people are doing." Nick, they are getting paid. The term student-athletes is an oxymoron when it comes to players on your teams. Almost every player at Alabama has professional aspirations with quarterback Bryce Young earning $1 million dollars in endorsements. You built the empire, Nick (six national championships in 12 years), and with unparalleled success comes greater expectations.

What's next

No. 2 Ohio State (11-1) at No. 5 Michigan (11-1): The last week of the regular season. Rivalry week. 117th edition of the "THE GAME." An elimination game. This is supposed to be one of the biggest rivalries in sports, but the Buckeyes have dominated the rivalry, winning 15 of the last 16 games. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh hasn't beaten Ohio State in five tries. Both teams must win in order to keep their CFP hopes alive. The Buckeyes have the best player on the field — quarterback C.J. Stroud. Last week Stroud threw six touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 56-7 blowout of Michigan State. He's got three future NFL receivers in Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. There's also talented 1,000-yard rusher TreVeyon Henderson. The question is how does Michigan slow down the Buckeye offense? They have a superb defense, yielding 16.7 points per game and special players in linemen Adrian Hutchinson and David Ojabo, each with 10 sacks. What they need to do is control the football with backs Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum. Quarterback Cade McNamara or freshman quarterback JJ McCarthy need to play error-free football. This game is in the Big House, which means it will be intense and too loud to hear yourself talk. Harbaugh is 2-9 in games against top-10 teams while OSU coach Ryan Day hasn't lost a Big Ten game yet. It says here the Buckeyes have too much talent and Michigan does not play well from behind. A Buckeye blowout.

No. 10 Oklahoma (11-1) at No. 7 Oklahoma State (11-1): One word. Bedlam. They've met 115 times since 1904. Another elimination game in the CFP but so much more on the line as the Sooners left their "brother" behind in the Big 12 for the SEC. Bad blood permanently exists between the schools because the Sooners are leaving in three years. The Pokes have been under the radar for most of the season but their defense hasn't. They're second nationally, yielding 14.9 points per/game and third, allowing just 267 yards per game. In the last three games, the Cowboys have outscored their opponents, 165-23. OSU quarterback Spencer Sanders is hot and cold. The Cowboys haven't defeated Oklahoma since 2014 and this is only the third time in history both teams are ranked in the top 10. Whether it's Spencer Rattler or freshman Caleb Williams at quarterback, they will be pressured. Cowboys coach Mike Gundy tends to get conservative when playing Oklahoma, which he hasn't beaten since 2014. It's rare to see Oklahoma State favored but I think its time has finally come to make a statement. Cowboys roll!

◘So which historic game today would you pick attend? For me, it was an easy choice. Michigan and Ohio State will be playing every year for the next 100 years at least. They are joined at the hip forever. In 2004, the two were both undefeated for the only time in their history ranked No. 1 and No. 2, playing for the right to be in the BCS Championship game. It was a 42-39 Buckeyes classic win and I was in the stands to experience the emotion. It remains to be seen whether bedlam will continue after Oklahoma moves to the SEC for the 2025 season. So it was a no brainer — Stillwater here I come!

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ken Schreiber: Even undefeated, Cincinnati is not a lock for the CFP