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'I had a better sign, but the committee wouldn't let it in': UC fans take aim at rankings during ESPN GameDay

chris pugh, cincinnati enquirer
·5 min read
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Cincinnati made its debut as host for ESPN College GameDay Saturday morning before the team's 3:30 p.m. showdown with Tulsa at Nippert Stadium.

The popular pregame show featured Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and celebrity guest picker Nick Lachey.

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Cincinnati Bearcats: What channel is the game on? Here's how to watch, stream Cincinnati vs. Tulsa

Show hosts were impressed by the size of the crowd in Cincinnati.

"They may be No. 6 in ratings, but they are No. 1 in (the size of the crowd)," Howard said during a pre-game telecast on YouTube.

The crowd roared and chanted "Corso, Corso" when Corso was shown on TV kissing a Cincinnati helmet.

Herbstreit, whose son is a freshman at Cincinnati St. Xavier High School, is renting a home in Cincinnati. The former Ohio State quarterback is also a well-known Cincinnati Reds fan, so the show was something of a homecoming for the one-time Centerville Elks quarterback.

The show aired live just several days after the undefeated Bearcats were ranked No. 6 in the first College Football Playoff rankings. That felt like a slight to man, and some felt that ESPN might have been behind it. Cincinnati Enquirer sports columnist Paul Daugherty wrote earlier in the week:

"Given the history of the 13-member conglomeration of ESPN caddies and Power 5 worshippers (Let us all bow our heads to Alabama) what did you expect?"

GameDay, one of the network's signature shows, is famous for its live crowd and the signs fans hold up. Did Bearcat fans notice the perceived ranking snub this week?

Uh, yeah.

Here are some of our favorite signs from ESPN College GameDay's Cincinnati show:

We could beat the Bengals are they wouldn't let us in the CFP

One fan said the Cincinnati Bearcats could beat the Cincinnati Bengals.

CFP 'SCREWED' Cincinnati

Cincinnati's No. 6 ranking was a popular theme of signs on Saturday.

I had a better sign, but the committee wouldn't let it in

Fans continued to be unhappy with the playoff committee.

I bathe in Skyline Chili

Fan suggests a new use for the popular Cincinnati-based food.

I'm ready to get hurt again

This sign inspired by "The Office" speaks to the angst Cincinnati fans felt this week.

What are those?

UC fans point out that the team hasn't lost this year, while three teams currently ranked above the Bearcats have one loss.

Do we need a loss to get in?

Fans wonder what the Bearcats need to do to make the top four in the college football rankings.

'We should have lost to Stanford'

Sign takes a swipe at Oregon, who lost to Stanford but has a better ranking than Cincinnati.

Who picked Cincinnati to beat Tulsa?

On Saturday, ESPN will make their picks for the game.

Here's who they picked:

  • Lee Corso: Cincinnati

  • Desmond Howard: Cincinnati

  • Kirk Herbstreit: Cincinnati

  • Nick Lachey: Cincinnati

The College Football Playoff top 25

Ohio State is in a good spot in the first rankings, which will be updated every Tuesday until the selection show on Dec. 5, the day after the Big Ten Championship Game.

Here is the top 25 College Football Playoff rankings this week.

  1. Georgia 8-0

  2. Alabama 7-1

  3. Michigan State 8-0

  4. Oregon 7-1

  5. Ohio State 7-1

  6. Cincinnati 8-0

  7. Michigan 7-1

  8. Oklahoma 9-0

  9. Wake Forest 8-0

  10. Notre Dame 7-1

  11. Oklahoma State 7-1

  12. Baylor 7-1

  13. Auburn 6-2

  14. Texas A&M 6-2

  15. BYU 7-2

  16. Ole Miss 6-2

  17. Mississippi State 5-3

  18. Kentucky 6-2

  19. NC State 6-2

  20. Minnesota 6-2

  21. Wisconsin 5-3

  22. Iowa 6-2

  23. Fresno State 7-2

  24. San Diego State 7-1

  25. Pittsburgh 6-2

2021 Cincinnati Bearcats football schedule

Joe Harrington contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: College GameDay in Cincinnati: Here are the signs