College football Championship Week means there are high stakes on the line but also that some teams are on upset alert with a chance to lose a big one.
With the College Football Playoff field set to be announced on Sunday, Dec. 20, suffice it to say that the stakes have never been higher than they are during Championship Week. Sure, winning a conference title is great but, when you get down to it, the bigger national picture is more important. So any team on upset alert has to feel they’re in an even more precarious position.
Some of the teams in high-profile conference championship games, however, aren’t necessarily going to be put on upset alert. Alabama fits that bill as Florida seemingly doesn’t have the horses to run with the Crimson Tide. Meanwhile, Clemson and Notre Dame are too closely matched in the ACC Championship Game to be eligible, the same of which is true for Oklahoma and Iowa State in the Big 12.
Coastal Carolina likely could’ve been put on upset alert against Louisiana but now the Sun Belt Championship Game has been called off due to COVID-19. So where does that leave us? Simply, it leaves us with these three college football teams, all of which are ranked in the top 15, being put on upset alert during Championship Week.
College football upset alert No. 3: Cincinnati Bearcats
Rank: 9 | Opponent: 23 Tulsa Golden Hurricane | Time: Saturday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m. ET
The Cincinnati Bearcats are this year’s poster children for the argument that a Group of 5 team is never going to make it into the College Football Playoff. Luke Fickell‘s team has not only amassed a perfect 8-0 record and answered several big challenges throughout the year but they’ve gotten better as the year has progressed as well.
Yet, this team has been dropping in the rankings in the past few weeks, most recently coming in at No. 9. Subsequently, the Bearcats don’t have a legitimate shot at being in the CFP field. Even still, you have to think that they would still love to have the argument of completing a perfect season, culminating in a AAC Championship Game win over Tulsa.
The problem with that is that the Golden Hurricane are another team that’s being underrated a great deal. While they haven’t necessarily played as tough of a schedule as Cincinnati, their only loss on the year came to Oklahoma State in a very tight contest. This is one of the better defenses in the country, a group with the personnel to cause Desmond Ridder and the Bearcats offense problems.
My expectation for this game is that it’ll be a defensive struggle and a low-scoring affair. In that type of mucked-up action, the outcome could very well hang on one or two big plays from either side. That’s a dangerous spot for Cincinnati to be in, so they’re an easy choice to be put on upset alert this week.