Perfection: Cincinnati states its final case for Playoff inclusion

No. 4 Cincinnati did what it needed to do Saturday. Now it’s up to the College Football Playoff selection committee to put the Bearcats in the four-team field.

Cincinnati (13-0) beat No. 19 Houston (11-2) 35-20 in the AAC Championship Game. The host Bearcats led 14-13 at halftime, then blew the game open by scoring two TDs in the first four minutes of the second half.

The Bearcats, who have won their past four games by an average of 19.5 points, almost certainly will be the first Group of 5 team picked for the CFP. They knew going into their game that No. 5 Oklahoma State had lost in the Big 12 title game, which eliminated the Cowboys from Playoff contention.

The last non-Power 5 team to win the national title was BYU in 1984, which capped off a 13-0 season by beating a 6-5 Michigan team in the Holiday Bowl. The Bearcats will have to beat far better competition if they’re to wear this season’s crown.

Cincinnati scored TDs on its first two drives against Houston, which gave up 19.8 points per game in the regular season and had surrendered just 38 in its past three games. But Houston scored on its first three drives — two field goals and a TD — before Cincinnati’s defense took over. After those three drives, Houston went seven possessions — covering just 23 total plays — before scoring again. By that time, the Bearcats led 35-13.

The Bearcats had eight sacks — 11 players combined for the eight — and 12 tackles for loss and held Houston to 336 yards.

Cincinnati went 0-of-8 on third down but still rolled up 400 total yards. The Bearcats’ five scoring drives totaled 17 plays. Running back Jerome Ford led the way with 187 yards and two TDs on 17 carries; the scoring runs covered 79 and 42 yards. Quarterback Desmond Ridder threw for 190 yards and three TDs.