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College Football Playoff committee sends a message to Cincinnati with Alabama matchup

Jeff Dean (Cincinnati); Brynn Anderson (Saban)/Associated Press

Cincinnati made history, and the College Football Selection cartel let them know the price of being the first.

The people who run the CFP want Cincinnati destroyed.

For the first time since the advent of the “playoff,” a team from outside of the Power 5 has been invited to the BCS Plus Two football tournament.

On Sunday morning, the CFP committee announced that undefeated Cincy is in their precious bracket. No. 4 Cincy will play No. 1 Alabama at 2:30 on Dec. 31 in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

The better matchup would have been Cincy against Michigan, but the committee likely wanted to avoid another plate of Georgia-Alabama, which was played on Saturday in the SEC title game.

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And, the committee wants to send the Bearcats back to Ohio feeling the full weight of this game.

The committee had no choice but to include UC, and now it wants the world to know why they do not want a team from outside their Power 5.

After the announcement was made, CFP committee chairman, Iowa athletic director Gary Barta told reporters, “The Committee doesn’t talk about conferences, it doesn’t talk about Group of Five, autonomy five.”

Wonder what he thinks about the Easter Bunny.

Alabama was immediately installed as a 98-point favorite (figure is approximate; the real line is Bama by 13.5).

In the other national semifinal game, No. 2 Michigan will play No. 3 Georgia in the Orange Bowl.

The announcement that Cincy made it was a historic moment not only for the Bearcats but also for every team that does not own a membership to the exclusive P5 Lawn and Country Club. This is evidence you can force your way onto the grounds.

Whatever else happens this season, Cincinnati and every player and coach associated with this program should rejoice.

Unlike the majority of these semifinal games that have existed since the 2014 season, we have a storyline other than Goldman Sachs versus JP Morgan Chase.

Alabama versus Cincinnati is not Wal-Mart versus David. It will, however, be a bowling ball rolled at 345 mph through pins; and Cincy is worthy of being in this playoff.

Alabama is the Michael Jordan of college football; the Crimson Tide embarrass the sport.

Since 2014, the Tide are 5-1 in the playoff games. Bama has won its last four semifinal games by the combined score of 162-61.

The list of victims in those games is not Prairie View, Kansas and Washington State. The list is Michigan State, Washington, Clemson, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame.

The CFP committee knows all of the stats, results and figures. They even use them when it suits their argument.

As evidenced by past behavior in previous polls, it did everything possible to keep Cincy out of these semifinals.

The committee can reference data points and strength of schedule, but deep down this is just an eyeball test.

The committee is only too sure that a team out of the American Athletic Conference is not a top 4 team.

It may be right.

Also, the Bearcats did too much to be anything other than No. 4.

Regardless of its outcome against Bama, Cincy is as worthy of a spot in the semifinals just as Michigan State, Washington, Clemson, Oklahoma and Notre Dame were in previous years when those teams were popped by Bama.

This was the season where Alabama was allegedly suffering through a “down” year. The Tide lost one game, by three points, at Texas A&M.

Since 2008, coach Nick Saban’s second season at Alabama, it has lost a total of 18 games. Since 2015, the Tide have lost seven times.

Cincinnati is a great team that forced its way into the BCS Plus Two Football Tournament.

Regardless of Cincy’s record or stats, the committee didn’t want them and that’s why they are sent off to play Alabama.