Despite Cotton Bowl loss, Cincinnati proved they belonged in College Football Playoff

Cincinnati couldn’t overcome Alabama in the College Football Playoff, but their Cotton Bowl performance proved they belonged in the Top 4.

In the end, Alabama had too much for Cincinnati football to handle.

The Crimson Tide pulled away in the second half for a 27-6 victory that punches their ticket to the CFP National Championship Game.

Just don’t use the result as a slight against Cincinnati or the Group of 5. The Bearcats proved one thing on New Year’s Eve: They could stick with Alabama about as well and as long as most Power 5 opponents.

Cincinnati kept it close for three quarters. They went into the fourth quarter trailing by 11. Their defense performed admirably. Their offense was just outmatched.

Cincinnati played Alabama as well as other playoff contenders might have

Let’s face it, Alabama would have done the same or worse to any of the teams the committee might have replaced Cincinnati with in that No. 4 spot.

The Bearcats literally beat Notre Dame themselves. Ohio State, Baylor and Ole Miss were all two-loss teams. They had no business being considered for the playoff seriously.

Cincinnati was rightfully included in the playoff. They ran into the same juggernaut that has unraveled most teams they face.

Alabama put up 41 points on Georgia’s vaunted defense and beat the Bulldogs by 17 points. The Bearcats lost by 21, only a marginally more painful defeat than the No. 3 team in the playoff endured.

In fact, the average margin of defeat in the playoff semifinals is 20.93 points, per The Ringer’s Rodger Sherman, so Cincinnati fits right in.

The Crimson Tide are the class of college football. There’s no shame in losing to them. Cincinnati should leave AT&T Stadium confident in the knowledge they didn’t let the Group of 5 down.

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