Why Cincinnati has legit shot at being Playoff team, plus other notes

Each of Luke Fickell’s three seasons at Cincinnati has produced a new accomplishment.

First was a seven-game turnaround in 2018 (from 4-8 in 2017 to 11-2 in 2018). Then came an AAC title-game appearance in 2019. That was followed by an AAC championship and an unbeaten regular season in 2020.

What’s next? Potentially becoming the first Group of 5 program to secure a berth in the College Football Playoff.

Fickell’s squad has a legitimate shot at making a Playoff run this season, which is even clearer to me after conversations this week with a couple of AAC coaches who previously worked at Power 5 schools.

The Bearcats, who are No. 8 in the preseason AP poll, return 16 starters from last season’s team (including potential early-round picks in edge defender Myjai Sanders, quarterback Desmond Ridder and cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner). And unlike last season, when a conference-only schedule prevented Cincinnati from having a realistic chance at getting into the Playoff, the Bearcats have two big opportunities to impress the selection committee when they travel to face No. 17 Indiana on September 18 and No. 9 Notre Dame on October 2.

One of the AAC coaches noted that it should help Cincinnati from a perception standpoint that the Bearcats nearly beat Georgia (which enters this season ranked No. 5) in last season’s Peach Bowl. Cincinnati led by 11 in the fourth quarter before ultimately losing on a last-second field goal.

“They played Georgia very well,” that coach told On3. “I think Cincinnati has an elite culture and has built a really good roster. They’ve won on a lot of kids (recruiting-wise) that could’ve gone anywhere. Cincinnati to me is a Big Ten football team — just style of play, efficient, play good defense and they run the ball well. They have talent. They’re well-coached. They’re disciplined.

“I think they would be a tough opponent for anybody.”

How Haynes King won the Texas A&M QB job

Texas A&M is now set to have arguably the nation’s fastest starting quarterback.

Haynes King, who was announced as the Aggies’ starter this week, is one of the fastest players on Texas A&M’s roster and has run the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds.

Nevertheless, it was more than just King’s athletic ability that led to him beating out third-year player Zach Calzada to become the replacement for Kellen Mond.

While King doesn’t have elite arm strength like Calzada (who had some wow-type throws during preseason camp), an A&M source shared that King was accurate throughout the preseason, continued to showcase good decision-making ability and didn’t have as many mistakes or turnovers as Calzada, who was inconsistent with protecting the football.

The staff felt like King got into a groove as camp progressed. Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher then made the official decision to name King the starter after Texas A&M’s second and final preseason scrimmage on Sunday.

King and Calzada had previously been splitting time with the first-team offense.

A&M opens against Kent State September 4, then plays Colorado in Denver September 11.

What to keep an eye on during Week 0

College football season opens this weekend with five games involving FBS teams. Here’s something worth watching in every game.

Nebraska at Illinois: It’s the beginning of a critical year four for Scott Frost at Nebraska. With a 12-20 record through his first three years (and with the NCAA now investigating Frost and the Huskers for improper use of support staffers), Frost is very much on the hot seat entering 2021. A loss to Bret Bielema’s Fighting Illini, who were 2-6 last season under Lovie Smith, wouldn’t help his cause. Nebraska enters as a seven-point favorite.

UConn at Fresno State: UConn, which opted out last season, has one of the top under-the-radar draft prospects in the country in defensive lineman Travis Jones. Some in the NFL scouting world view Jones (6-4, 330) as a potential Day 2 pick in the 2022 NFL draft. The matchup pits Jones, who posted 40 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 2019, against first-team All-Mountain West running back Ronnie Rivers.

Hawaii at UCLA: I was asked during a recent interview whether UCLA is good enough to compete with LSU when the teams meet September 4 at the Rose Bowl. This game will give us a better feel for that. While Chip Kelly’s squad finished 3-4 last season, all four losses came by six or fewer points and the Bruins return key pieces such as quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and running back Brittain Brown. Thompson-Robinson, a four-year starter, is expected to be one of the best quarterbacks in the Pac-12 and is viewed as a mid-Day 3 draft prospect. Brown, meanwhile, ran for 219 yards in UCLA’s final game of 2020 (a 48-47 loss to Stanford).

Southern Utah at San Jose State: For those interested in the coaching carousel, San Jose State’s Brent Brennan could be a hot name a few months from now. Brennan, the 2020 Mountain West Coach of the Year, led the Spartans to a 7-1 record last season and the program’s first outright conference title since 1990.

UTEP at New Mexico State: New Mexico State was last (130th of 130 teams) in On3’s preseason rankings. Let’s see if the Aggies can prove us wrong. They enter as a 10-point underdog against UTEP, which finished 3-5 last season.