Notre Dame paid Cincinnati to come to South Bend

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish paid for their loss to Cincinnati in the rankings and literally out of pocket. The Fighting Irish went into Saturday’s game looking for a win over a top-10 opponent to help boost their standing. Instead, they gave the Bearcats a win they needed to prove that they are College Football Playoff worthy.

Notre Dame football still hangs on to its independent status, mainly because of its historic rivalries with other powerhouses throughout the country. If they were to join the ACC conference as they have done for other sports, it would make it difficult to keep those traditional games annual. But even with that independent classification, the Fighting Irish are viewed as a Power 5 team.

According to Fox College Football, Cincinnati made the trip to South Bend to the tune of 1.2 million dollars. That trip included possibly the biggest win in program history as it puts them one step closer to being the first non-Power 5 team to make the College Football Playoffs. The Bearcats are now ranked No. 5 in the AP top 25, just behind a pair of SEC and Big Ten teams. For the Fighting Irish, that loss not only hurt their Playoff chances but ended a 26-game home win streak. Notre Dame fell out of the top 10 to 14th after the loss.

Bearcats put away the Irish

Cincinnati won the game 24-13 and never trailed, thanks to a 17-0 lead at halftime. Bearcat quarterback Desmond Ridder went 19-for-32 with 297 yards and three total touchdowns, two through the air and one on the ground. Receiver Alec Pierce led the Bearcats attack with six receptions for 144 yards. Cincinnati’s touchdown catches came from Leonard Taylor and Tre Tucker.

Jack Coan started the first half for the Irish at quarterback. But after a sluggish start, he was pulled in favor of redshirt freshman Drew Pyne. Coan went 14-for-22 with 114 yards and an interception in the first half. With Pyne, the Norte Dame offense was able to gain some traction, scoring 13 points in the second half. The freshman finished 9 of 22 passing for 143 yards and one touchdown.

Cincinnati has overcome every test thrown at them so far this season and the Fighting Irish was the biggest one on paper. But the Bearcats can’t kick it into cruise control yet as they still have some pretty good opponents left to face in the American Athletic Conference. Their next matchup against UCF could be a good one, but many have their Nov. 11 contest against SMU circled as the next key game. The Mustangs are currently ranked No. 24 in the AP polls thanks to their high-powered offense.