No. 8 Cincinnati has CFP hopes, but first comes rival Miami

By The Associated Press

No. 8 Cincinnati has realistic hopes of being the first non-Power Five school to break into the College Football Playoff. Nonconference games at No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 17 Indiana should help judge its fitness. First, though, the Bearcats and star quarterback Desmond Ridder have to get by traditional in-state rival Miami. Cincinnati is more than a three-touchdown favorite over the RedHawks on Saturday. The game will be played at Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium, which will be full for the first time since 2019. Miami will have a short trip — its southwestern Ohio campus is only 40 miles away.