Cincinnati Stands On The Shoulders Of Past Mid-Major Giants

Cincinnati made history this college football season.

Cincinnati’s breakthrough is worth celebrating. But, Cincinnati also stood on the shoulders of other small-conference giants from seasons past when it finally beat college football’s top-heavy system – and in that sense, its triumph had been in the works for many, many years.

Maybe the biggest jolt to the system in two decades was delivered by Urban Meyer, Alex Smith and Utah in 2004. Undefeated and ranked No. 6 in the final BCS standings, the Utes were the first successful “BCS-buster”. Their visit to the Fiesta Bowl was validated with a 35-7 victory over Pitt, signaling that teams from outside of power conferences were not to be ignored or underestimated.

And Utah was back at it in 2008, finishing a perfect 13-0 season by beating Nick Saban’s Alabama squad 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl.

fivethirtyeight.com article