Cincinnati’s playoff chances boosted with Oklahoma losing to Baylor

Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Desmond Ridder. (Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports)
Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Desmond Ridder. (Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Cincinnati was the big winner of Baylor upsetting Oklahoma, preventing the Sooners from potentially leaping them as an undefeated Big 12 champ.

The Cincinnati Bearcats are still undefeated but they need help to secure a place in the College Football Playoff.

Sitting at No. 5 in the latest rankings, Cincinnati got some help on Saturday.

Baylor upset Oklahoma to take one worry off the Bearcats plate. They no longer have to deal with the possibility of an undefeated Sooners team taking one of the four CFP spots in front of them.

What does Cincinnati need to bolster their playoff hopes?

Penn State almost did Cincinnati a favor by challenging Michigan. However, the Wolverines pulled ahead in the end and kept themselves in the race. The Bearcats still have reason to look over their shoulder if the Big Ten champion has just one loss.

Besides that, Luke Fickell needs to hope for an Oregon loss during the remainder of the Pac-12 slate.

Georgia handing Alabama a second loss in the SEC Championship Game is critical as well.

And, of course, Cincinnati needs to keep on winning, preferably by wide margins. The closer the games the Bearcats plays, the more they’ll be opening the door for disrespect from the committee.

There is a chance for the Bearcats to make it into the Top 4. College football is chaotic and unpredictable. They just need to cross their fingers and hope while controlling what they can control.

Next. Best college football wide receivers of the 21st century. dark

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.