Fansided

5 teams that could sneak into the 2020 College Football Playoff

By Cody Williams

STILLWATER, OK - NOVEMBER 30: Head coach Mike Gundy of the Oklahoma State Cowboys encourages his team before a "Bedlam" game against the Oklahoma Sooners on November 30, 2019 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
STILLWATER, OK - NOVEMBER 30: Head coach Mike Gundy of the Oklahoma State Cowboys encourages his team before a "Bedlam" game against the Oklahoma Sooners on November 30, 2019 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /
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Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati football (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

College Football Playoff sleeper No. 5: Cincinnati Bearcats

While a Group of 5 team has never made it into the College Football Playoff in the short history of the format, this particular season might be their best chance. They don’t have to argue with the Big Ten and Pac-12 about the merits of their respective conference champions and, if a Group of 5 team is able to dominate in their own league, then they would have a strong case to get the nod into the playoff.

The most likely Group of 5 conference to produce such a team is the AAC as there is a fantastic trio of teams set to compete for the top spot in the American. Cincinnati, Memphis and UCF all have the talent and infrastructure to potentially run the table in the AAC and make themselves an undefeated and undeniable candidate to make the playoff. And to me, the Bearcats are the best team of that bunch.

Luke Fickell has already proven he can win with Cincinnati as he’s produced two straight 11-win season with the Bearcats. And he’s in great shape to not only continue that success but build on it. The Bearcats return 10 starters from a defense that was arguably the best in the AAC last season and should be able to retain their dominance on that side of the ball, which is an edge they have over UCF and Memphis.

But beyond that, the hope is that quarterback Desmond Ridder can stay healthy and take the offense up a notch. Yes, Cincinnati must replace Michael Warren and Josiah Deguara, their two best weapons from last season. If Ridder is healthy, though, that becomes much less of a concern with his dual-threat playmaking ability.

Running the table in a tough AAC isn’t going to be easy but, if Cincinnati — or Memphis or UCF — can do it, this year might be their best chance at making the CFP.