Following the Cincinnati Bearcats heartbreaking loss to Georgia in last season’s Peach Bowl, cornerback Justin Harris stood near the visitor’s tunnel inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, looking on as the Georgia Bulldogs received the winner’s trophy.
Harris soaked in this searingly painful moment and following a 13-0 regular season and conference championship game, it seems as though it was a harbinger of things to come for the Bearcats football program.
I’m coming for everything they said I couldn’t have and achieve. Nothing personal but it’s just business from now on❗️ https://t.co/fYiBiltUJ4
— Justin Harris (@jharris1269) January 2, 2021
Fast-forward eleven months later, the Bearcats have been selected as the first Group of Five conference member to compete in the College Football Playoff. Cincinnati will take on the vaunted Alabama Crimson Tide in the Cotton Bowl (December 31st at 3:30 pm ET).
“A lot of people doubted us,” said Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell. “I think that’s where the gratification comes. We don’t worry about what the outside says, don’t worry about style, we’ve just got to find a way to play our best ball at the end of the year. I told them that if we take care of business, things will take care of themselves.”
Fickell regarding the significance of a playoff berth, “I think the most important thing is that our guys recognize that they’ve done something, and there’s another opportunity ahead of them.” Fickell continued, “It’s about us, not what Alabama’s done. That’s not what it’s going to be about for us. We’ll continue to focus on us like we’ve done all year.”
Fickell and his team will have a rare opportunity to shock the college football world and earn a shot at a National Championship, not just for them, but for every Group of Five contender past, present, or future.
Previous contenders, such as the 2006 Boise State Broncos, 2010 TCU Horned Frogs, and 2017 UCF Knights (who claimed a share of the national title), will all certainly be watching Cincinnati’s playoff journey with profound interest. A win on December 31st for the Bearcats would be a massive upset in and of itself. A win in Indianapolis? That would be downright legendary.
For now? The underdog Bearcats will prepare for a monumental challenge against the Tide in North Texas.
Written by Greg Atkins
