This isn't about whether or not Cincinnati deserves a playoff shot, or if it's good enough to compete. If the Bearcats beat Houston Saturday to win the conference and finish 13-0, of course they deserve to finish in the top four. The problem is, I've seen the Bearcats mess around with too many teams that aren't nearly as good as this Houston squad. Yes, the Cougars have benefitted from playing one of the easier schedules in the country, but so have the Bearcats. I like Cincinnati to win, but not by enough to have its fans feeling safe heading into Sunday's final playoff rankings.

The Cougars have won 11 straight, quarterback Clayton Tune has settled in nicely and they’re 2-0 against the spread as 8.5 to 12.5 underdogs. Plus, it’s still hard for me to trust a Bearcats team that, other than the win over SMU two weeks ago, has been a little sketchy in most of their games in the second half of the season.