Gus Malzahn Says Bearcats Should be in College Football Playoff

He won a National Championship as an offensive coordinator at Auburn.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Nov 5, 2021 11:52 AM EDT

The Bearcats didn't make the four-team cut in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, but one former national title-winning coach thinks they were snubbed at No. 6.

"I thought they’d be No. 2 or No. 3, which they should be,” Malzahn told Yahoo Sports. "The current head coach of the UCF Golden Knights battled UC in a 56-21 loss earlier this year and was the offensive coordinator at Auburn when Cam Newton and Co. led the program to a National Title.

“I’ve played Georgia and Alabama every year. I know exactly what it looks like. [Cincinnati is] right there. They’re a team that can win the whole thing.”

The Bearcats tied for the lowest CFP ranking ever for a No. 2 team in the AP Poll—Baylor was also ranked sixth in 2015. Malzahn doesn't understand it after the program went mono-e-mono with the top-ranked team in the country this past bowl season.

“What surprised me more than anything is that Cincinnati played Georgia in the bowl game last year,” Malzahn said. “Georgia is the best team in college football. I don’t think that’s debatable. Both teams have pretty close to the same guys back. They played Georgia better than anyone. They should have won the game.”

Malzahn narrowly missed out on his one National Title chance as a head coach when his Auburn Tigers fell to Jameis Winston and Florida State in the 2014 Championship Game.

“They are complete,” Malzahn said about the Bearcats. “Their defense is big-time. It’s a big-time defense. To have a chance to win the whole thing, you have to have an elite quarterback, which they do. They have an elite running back. They are very well-coached. Their special teams are as good as I’ve seen in a while.”

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