LUKE FICKELL

Cincinnati is the first outsider to make the College Football Playoff and Alabama is the standard bearer.

Jerome Ford rushed for 187 yards and two touchdowns and Desmond Ridder threw three touchdown passes as No. 3 Cincinnati broke open a close game in the third quarter and rolled past No. 16 Houston 35-20 in the American Athletic Conference championship game.

Dan Wolken believes the current system for poaching and acquiring college football head coaches is broken and only going to get more chaotic if the CFP decides to expand.

Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick says he won’t be rushed into finding a replacement for football coach Brian Kelly no matter where the team is going in the postseason.

Desmond Ridder threw two touchdown passes and No. 4 Cincinnati completed a perfect regular season by beating East Carolina 35-13.

Who could the Gators consider? Here is a list of six names likely to be on the Gators’ shortlist and a couple of familiar names to throw out as wild card picks.

Desmond Ridder threw two touchdown passes to break the Cincinnati career record and ran for a score to help the No. 2 Bearcats beat South Florida 45-28 on Friday night.

Tulsa’s Steven Anderson fumbled as he was reaching for the goal line on fourth-and-goal from the 1, Jabari Taylor recovered for a touchback and No. 2 Cincinnati held off Tulsa 28-20.

Desmond Ridder twice connected with tight end Josh Whyle for touchdowns and No. 2 Cincinnati remained unbeaten with a 31-12 victory over struggling Tulane.

Jerome Ford rushed for a career-high 189 yards and four touchdowns to help No. 3 Cincinnati roll past UCF 56-21.

Desmond Ridder threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns and No. 5 Cincinnati routed Temple 52-3 on Friday night for its 23rd straight home victory.

We're checking the temperature of the USC football coaching search. Penn State's James Franklin is considered a top candidate. Urban Meyer still isn't.

No. 8 Cincinnati took one small step toward playoff contention by rallying to beat Indiana.

Alabama looked beatable.

Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell spent this week preparing his team to hit the road. “For us to play a really, really, really good Indiana team that we’ve been talking about since the summer and then you throw the road changeup and the crowd, it's something we haven't experienced in a year and a half." Quarterback Desmond Ridder, last season's American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, quickly explained on Twitter his coach wasn't going anywhere.

Jerome Ford rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns and Desmond Ridder passed for 243 yards and two TDs to lead No. 7 Cincinnati past Murray State 42-7.

Tennessee State has hired former NFL running back Eddie George as football coach.

Cincinnati quarterback Ben Bryant (6)makes the catch against Georgia during the second half of the Peach Bowl NCAA college football game, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021, in Atlanta. 6 Cincinnati its only loss of the season with a dramatic 24-21 victory in the Peach Bowl on Friday. Georgia trailed 21-10 in the fourth quarter, but its defense clamped down on Desmond Ridder and Cincinnati and JT Daniels helped rally the Bulldogs with his arm. Podlesny’s third field goal was his longest of the season and gave Georgia a 22-21 lead. Zamir White's 9-yard TD run trimmed Cincinnati's lead to 21-16, but Daniels' pass on the 2-point attempt was incomplete.

“Thrill a minute,” Smart said dryly on Monday when asked about his team’s status with COVID-19 testing results. Georgia’s final regular-season game against Vanderbilt was canceled after the Commodores’ roster fell below minimum requirements due to COVID-19 problems. Smart wouldn’t say his team will be without any player due to COVID-19 testing. He said “we’re in a good place” with COVID-19 testing but said he’s also wary of changes before the game. Smart said his Bulldogs are facing three opponents: “Cincinnati, Cincinnati and COVID.”He said a season of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic has been stressful.

6 Cincinnati has a lot on the line in its Peach Bowl game against No. Fickell said the Jan. 1 bowl game is a chance for the Bearcats to show they deserve the same respect given to such Power 5 teams as Georgia in future playoff deliberations. 9 Coastal Carolina, as the top Group of Five team when making a choice for the New Year’s Six bowl game in Atlanta. The bowl game in Atlanta, a short drive from Athens, gives Georgia seniors a new opportunity for a final game with their families in the stands. Georgia is 2-0 against Cincinnati but the teams haven’t played since 1976, when the Bulldogs took a 31-17 home win.

8 Cincinnati's game at Tulsa on Saturday has been postponed because of positive COVID-19 tests among Bearcats players. The American Athletic Conference announced Thursday, Oct. 15, the game is being rescheduled for Dec. 5. 8 Cincinnati’s game at Tulsa on Saturday has been postponed because of positive COVID-19 tests among Bearcats players. Tulsa has had three games postponed, including its opener against Oklahoma State, which it was able to make up. “I’m disappointed, first, for our football student-athletes and coaches, and obviously for our staff who has prepared so diligently, our campus and the city of Tulsa," Tulsa athletic director Rick Dickson said.