The uproar over undefeated Florida State Football’s exclusion from this season’s College Football Playoff showcases many things. Most applies exclusively to college football. Yet, one significant lesson from this applies to this weekend’s Crosstown Shootout.

The lesson is that matchups matter; People have many reasons in mind for why Florida State was excluded from the CFP. Some feel FSU’s snub highlights a perceived pro-Southeastern Conference bias by the CFP Selection Committee. With one-loss SEC champions Alabama Football being selected over Florida State. Some feel it’s because No.4 Alabama vs. No.1 Michigan is perceived as more intriguing than Florida State facing Michigan. In my view, Florida State was excluded primarily because of a handful of games they weren’t involved in.

Last September, Alabama lost to Texas at home 34-24. That game loomed over the selection process heading into conference championship weekend. Alabama beating then No.1 Georgia in the SEC Championship last Saturday complicated things. If Georgia won that game, they and Florida State would likely be in the CFP. Yet, 12-1 Alabama had a case to be included through their conference championship. While Texas had a case to be included in the CFP as one-loss Big 12 Conference champions. Texas’ one loss was to their Red River rivals Oklahoma 34-30 last October. 

Put that all together and Texas earned an invitation to the CFP over Alabama. Due to their head-to-head game last September. Meanwhile, Florida State’s most notable non-conference win was to LSU during Labor Day weekend. In ACC play, Florida State had one-possession wins over Boston College, Clemson and Miami (FL). Florida State blew out most of their regular season opponents. Then scraped through to a 16-6 win over No.16 Louisville in last Saturday’s ACC Championship Game. While Florida State was worthy of a CFP berth this season; their exclusion also makes some sense.

Meanwhile, Xavier and Cincinnati Men’s Basketball play in the Crosstown Shootout this Saturday. Both teams go into Saturday’s game amid rather different seasons. With recent matchups looming large over the pregame discussions surrounding Xavier. The Xavier Musketeers will go into Saturday with a 4-5 record. Xavier is in the midst of a three-game losing streak. Losing to Oakland, Houston and Delaware. While Houston is one of college basketball’s top programs. Delaware and Oakland are teams a major program like Xavier is expected to beat. 

The Cincinnati Bearcats head into Saturday’s game 7-0. Over the years, Xavier has gone into the game with a tougher schedule compared to Cincinnati. This season is not an exception to that trend. The Musketeers have faced several major conference teams this season. Along with their Houston loss last week, Xavier lost to Purdue 83-71 and Washington 71-74 last month. Xavier will be the second major conference team Cincinnati plays this season. The Bearcats beat Georgia Tech 89-54 in Cincinnati on November 22nd. 

Matchups only partly explain Cincinnati’s early success and Xavier’s struggles. Cincinnati has more roster continuity compared to Xavier. The Musketeers went into this season with several new players and injured veterans. Prompting Xavier head coach Sean Miller to tone down his preseason expectations. Cincinnati on the other hand, welcomed several returning players back. While Aziz Bandaogo is able to play after transfer drama with the NCAA. Which caused him to miss much of the opening month of the season. 

Xavier’s struggles and UC’s record might leave UC fans more hopeful about Saturday. Despite the game being at Xavier’s Cintas Center. Cincinnati has only beaten Xavier once at the Cintas Center. In the first Crosstown Shootout game hosted there during the 2001-02 season. Along with that, Cincinnati is looking to snap a four-game losing streak to Xavier.

On Sunday, Xavier and Cincinnati’s Women’s Basketball teams will play in the Women’s Crosstown Shootout. Cincinnati will host Sunday’s game at Fifth Third Arena. Cincinnati’s women’s team goes into the game with a 4-3 record. The Cincinnati Bearcats have endured through a tough schedule. Their most impressive win was to Kentucky on November 25th. That was part of a tournament where Cincinnati lost to now No.8 Colorado and No.3 NC State. Cincinnati’s other loss was to now No.18 Louisville on November 6th.

Xavier’s women’s team goes into Sunday’s game 0-7. Their winless start to this season adds into a 28-game losing streak for the Musketeers. Their closest game was a 57-58 overtime loss to Miami Ohio on November 27th. Despite their recent struggles, Xavier won last year’s Women’s Crosstown Shootout. Ending Cincinnati’s three-game winning streak in the series.

One major pregame storyline is whether Sunday’s game will happen as scheduled. Xavier didn’t have enough available players for two previously scheduled games. As a result, Xavier had to cancel a game at Arizona State last week. They also postponed a home game against Oakland. That game was originally scheduled to happen on Thursday.

The Women’s and Men’s Crosstown Shootout’s history showcases something annually. That sometimes it’s okay to disregard the team’s records going into the game. Both school’s deliver the intensity and intrigue this rivalry typically showcases. Saturday’s Crosstown Shootout tips-off at 6:30 PM (all times Eastern) on FS1, WKRC-AM (550) and WLW-AM (700). Sunday’s game is set to tip-off at 2 PM on ESPN+ and WSAI-AM (1360).