ORLANDO, Fla. — Sadly, just like when UCF went unbeaten for two straight regular seasons, the Cincinnati Bearcats are finding out there’s no seat on the bus and no room at the inn for them in the Power 5 Invitational otherwise known as the College Football Playoff.
The Bearcats are 8-0, but yet they are only No. 8 in the latest playoff rankings — one spot behind two-loss Iowa State of the Big 12. And, yes, the Ohio State Buckeyes, who have played only five games and have a terrible strength of schedule, are ranked No. 4 and will undoubtedly get into the playoff because, well, they are Ohio State.
Unfortunately, in college football, your brand matters more than your body of work. As UCF athletics director Danny White has told me many times: “It’s not a playoff; it’s an invitational. We would love to see the leadership of college football expand the current invitational into a real playoff that determines one true national champion. If we need a model to emulate, we could simply look at every other sport in America — college or pro — that determine their champions on the field or on the court.”
