12 games that will determine the 2021 College Football Playoff

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Cincinnati Bearcats. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

8. Cincinnati at Notre Dame, Oct. 2

If there was ever a chance that a Group of Five team is going to make it into the four-team College Football Playoff, it’s Luke Fickell’s Cincinnati Bearcats in the 2021 season. After going undefeated in the regular season last year and making a New Year’s Six bowl, the team returns the majority of its key components and starts off their campaign ranked No. 8 in the preseason AP Top 25.

What makes Cincinnati’s chances even more realistic, unlike last season and the COVID scheduling, is that the Bearcats now have two high-profile non-conference matchups that could vault their CFP stock tremendously. The first is against a top-20 Indiana team but the second is an early October trip to South Bend to face Notre Dame, a top-10 team in the preseason polls.

Notre Dame, as mentioned, is a team with a ton of talent but also a lot to figure out this season. And with this matchup coming somewhat early in the year, it’s going to be pivotal for both teams. If the raw talent of the Irish wins out, that could be a confidence builder to propel them forward into the playoff conversation.

If Cincinnati can beat Indiana and then knock off Notre Dame, though, that’s massive for the Bearcats. They should be favored in every AAC contest this season, meaning all they need from the non-conference slate is to build a resume that the committee will respect. A win over the Irish definitely qualifies as that.