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Quote:With the advent of the College Football Playoff committee, and their emphasis for all programs to improve their strength of schedule such that, say, Wisconsin can’t skate by hosting Eastern Illinois, UMass, and Ball State every year and expect to get into the playoff, Power Five programs are becoming smarter with their scheduling.

It’s one of the reasons why neither Baylor nor TCU made the top four last season. Without a conference championship game in the Big 12, an asinine decision we’ve berated them for a number of times in this space, the Bears and Horned Frogs were jumped by the Ohio State Buckeyes at the end of the season. While Baylor and TCU played 12 games in 2014, OSU obliterated Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship 59-zip, their 13th game, jettisoning them into the playoff.

But that’s only part of the equation. The other is apparently scheduling stronger teams during the regular season, which the Big Ten has taken quite literally and as such are refusing to add FCS programs to their teams’ slates. Plus, as it relates to Cincinnati, the conference apparently considers UC a Power Five team, The Indianapolis Star reports.

Quote: IU received an exception from the league to count Connecticut (2019, 2020) and Cincinnati (2021, 2022), both members of the American Athletic Conference, as “Power Five” opponents.

“We looked at their RPI for the last five or six years,” said Mark Rudner, the Big Ten’s senior associate commissioner. “If someone comes to us with a request, we’ll evaluate it. That’s what happened with these two. Those seemed to fit.”

Indiana and Cincinnati agreed to a home-and-home around this time last year, with the Bearcats traveling to Bloomington in 2020 and the Hoosiers returning the favor a year later. UC’s RPI over the last half-decade is far and away better than most other Group of Five teams. Boise State and BYU are probably up there as well but for the Big Ten’s purposes, Cincinnati is basically Power Five quality at least from a ranking standpoint. Therefore the conference sees the Bearcats as just another strong opponent to impress the Selection Committee. And I’d venture a guess that Ohio State fans won’t admit it but they know Cincinnati winning a share of the AAC last year only helped their cause when the final playoff spots were set, if only by a little.

On a broader scale it speaks to the perception of UC as a program, even if they happen to be lumped in with UConn. The Big Ten isn’t alone in considering Cincinnati a welcomed addition to any team’s schedule. The PAC-12’s UCLA already added UC to their schedule (2019, 2020) and the same goes for the Big 12’s Nebraska (2020, 2025) as well as the ACC’s Pitt (2023, 2024). So word’s gotten around about the Bearcats in the Power Five.

Now if only Cincinnati could get one of those teams on their conference slate. Hmm…

Gee that's mighty big of them.

Seriously I guess it's good.

it makes sense for regional schools to play each other.

It is just for one game.

That being said, I think CFB is going doing a slippery slope with considering certain schools G5 power conference schools for certain situations. I mean, if they consider UConn a P5, I can think of a dozen or so G5 schools they should give the same consideration too. Also, they consider Army P5 and frankly the Black Knights just don't cut the mustard.

Someone might want to let that author know that Nebraska is in the Big 10 now.

"On a broader scale it speaks to the perception of UC as a program, even if they happen to be lumped in with UConn. The Big Ten isn’t alone in considering Cincinnati a welcomed addition to any team’s schedule. The PAC-12’s UCLA already added UC to their schedule (2019, 2020) and the same goes for the Big 12’s Nebraska (2020, 2025) as well as the ACC’s Pitt (2023, 2024). So word’s gotten around about the Bearcats in the Power Five."

(09-21-2015 06:33 PM)Bearcat85 Wrote:  Someone might want to let that author know that Nebraska is in the Big 10 now.

"On a broader scale it speaks to the perception of UC as a program, even if they happen to be lumped in with UConn. The Big Ten isn’t alone in considering Cincinnati a welcomed addition to any team’s schedule. The PAC-12’s UCLA already added UC to their schedule (2019, 2020) and the same goes for the Big 12’s Nebraska (2020, 2025) as well as the ACC’s Pitt (2023, 2024). So word’s gotten around about the Bearcats in the Power Five."

Technically he said Big 12 and not Big XII. So who knows which conference he's referring to!

Of course everyone knows its the Big 4teen.