No. 3 Cincinnati claims AAC crown, possible playoff spot
Jerome Ford rushed for 187 yards and two touchdowns and Desmond Ridder threw three touchdown passes as No. 3 Cincinnati broke open a close game in the third quarter and rolled past No. 16 Houston 35-20 in the American Athletic Conference championship game.
Desmond Ridder, No. 7 Cincinnati beat No. 9 Notre Dame 24-13
Desmond Ridder threw two touchdown passes and ran for score late in the fourth quarter as No. 7 Cincinnati capitalized on its big opportunity and beat No. 9 Notre Dame 24-13 in a game the Bearcats hope can be the centerpiece of College Football Playoff resume.
No. 7 Cincinnati stays unbeaten with 36-33 win over UCF
Ridder threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores as Cincinnati defeated Central Florida 36-33 Saturday to head into the release of the first College Football Playoff rankings unbeaten. “What a hard, hard-fought game,” Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell said. UCF took a 25-22 lead in the third quarter with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to Marlon Williams. “We’ve got a trophy game (Friday against USF), our guys will be ready to play.”The interception Gabriel threw was costly for UCF. … After averaging 417.7 yards passing in his first six games, Gabriel has thrown for under 300 yards in consecutive games.
No. 17 Memphis tops No. 18 Cincinnati 34-24 to host AAC game
17 Memphis beat 18th-ranked Cincinnati 34-24 Friday for the Tigers’ third straight American Athletic Conference West title and the right to host the league championship — and the Bearcats again — next week. 18 CFP) will host a conference title game. Memphis also forced Cincinnati three-and-out after Ahmad Gardner intercepted White with 7:49 left with the Tigers up only 27-24. They held the nation’s eighth-best scoring offense below its average of 42.2 points a game, and Memphis didn’t match its average of 488.2 yards a game. Fickell said they will need to know Ridder’s status by Tuesday or Wednesday before making a decision on who starts the title game.