No.7 Cincinnati Football is in the College Football Playoff conversation. Given the way Cincinnati’s season and the college football season is going. Cincinnati has a reasonable case beyond the rankings to be in that conversation.

For starters, the unbeaten Cincinnati Bearcats have barely skipped a beat this season. Since their season kicked off in September; only one Bearcats game was postponed. A road game against Tulsa Football now scheduled to take place on December 4th. Cincinnati is the only non-independent school currently in the top ten to have played a non-conference game. One non-conference game was against at the time No.22 Army Football.

The Bearcats are doing what they need to do. In order to even be mentioned in the College Football Playoff conversation. The Bearcats are not just winning games; they’re winning by hefty margins this season. Cincinnati’s closest win was their 24-10 win against Army. Their biggest blowout win was against Memphis Football; beating the Tigers by 39 points.

In conference play, Cincinnati beat currently No.19 SMU Football in a rout on the road. Then walloped American Athletic Conference title defenders Memphis a week later. The Bearcats season is playing out in a way many expected. At this rate they are in a good position to qualify for the AAC Championship Game. If they manage to head into Selection Sunday as unbeaten conference champions. Then they’ve checked all the boxes they could to qualify for the playoff. A CFP snub under those circumstances would be more reflective of a power five bias within the selection committee.

A wild year for power five conferences could help Cincinnati. The Big 12 Conference had a lackluster start to their season. With some teams facing upset losses in the first month of play. This unorthodox season is also giving group of five schools like Cincinnati more respect in the polls. With Coastal Carolina and Louisiana Football making rare appearances in the AP Top 25. Cincinnati likely would be in the playoff conversation with a similar start in a season not rocked by COVID-19. After back-to-back 11 win seasons, cracking into the top ten this season seemed possible before the pandemic.

On the flip side, different conferences starting in different weeks didn’t help Cincinnati at times rankings-wise. Cincinnati slipped a spot in the AP Top 25 after beating Army. That win coincided with the start of the Southeastern Conference’s season. The Bearcats dropped from sixth to seventh in the most recent poll. The first poll since the Pac-12 season kicked off. With every power five conference now playing. Cincinnati won’t have conference kickoffs hampering them in the rankings.

Meanwhile, various power five games have been postponed or cancelled just this week. Joining this season’s long list of postponed and cancelled games. Without schedule adjustments, additional postponed games might not be re-scheduled. Which could throw some playoff-related intrigue into the mix. Intrigue that could help Cincinnati climb higher in the rankings.

These postponements and cancellations could bite some perennial CFP contenders. At minimum, it’s prompting a debate about certain programs current position in the rankings. Does Alabama Football stay No.1 despite their game against LSU Football being postponed? Does Ohio State Football stay at No.3 despite having one of their games cancelled? Plus, what impact will any of this have on Cincinnati’s hopes to rise in the rankings?

Ultimately, most of the factors impacting Cincinnati’s playoff aspirations are out of their control. All the Bearcats can do to keep those hopes alive is keep on winning. One loss would practically end the CFP hype surrounding the Bearcats. Not even winning their remaining games guarantees them a playoff berth. CFP conversations aside, by doing what they’ve been doing so far. Cincinnati could finish 2020 with their best season in school history. Regardless of whether they qualify for the College Football Playoff.