JEROME FORD

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 threw two touchdown passes and No. 4 Cincinnati completed a perfect regular season by beating East Carolina 35-13.

Desmond Ridder threw three touchdown passes, ran for another score and even caught a TD pass to help No. 3 Cincinnati roll past SMU 48-14 on Saturday.

Desmond Ridder threw two touchdown passes to break the Cincinnati career record and ran for a score to help the No. 2 Bearcats beat South Florida 45-28 on Friday night.

Tulsa’s Steven Anderson fumbled as he was reaching for the goal line on fourth-and-goal from the 1, Jabari Taylor recovered for a touchback and No. 2 Cincinnati held off Tulsa 28-20.

Cincinnati Tulane Football Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder (9) passes during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Tulane in New Orleans, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert)NEW ORLEANS — (AP) — Desmond Ridder twice connected with tight end Josh Whyle for touchdowns, and No. 2 Cincinnati remained unbeaten with a 31-12 victory Saturday over a struggling but feisty Tulane squad that kept the game competitive deep into the second half. Cincinnati looked primed to pull away when Evan Prater intercepted Horton's screen pass in Tulane territory, but Macon Clark intercepted Ridder several plays later, returning it to midfield. Tulane: Heading into the season, Tulane was expected to contend for a fourth straight bowl bid.

Desmond Ridder twice connected with tight end Josh Whyle for touchdowns and No. 2 Cincinnati remained unbeaten with a 31-12 victory over struggling Tulane.

POLL POINTSSeven ranked teams lost on Saturday, including five to unranked teams, increasing the total on the season to 47. In each of the last three weeks, a top-three team has lost to an unranked team, starting with Stanford over then-No. That leaves the state of Florida with no ranked teams, a rare occurrence in recent poll history. ___RANKED vs. RANKEDFor the first time this season, the college football schedule has no games matching ranked teams. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25.

Cincinnati has moved up to No. 2 behind Georgia in The Associated Press college football poll for the best ranking for a team from outside the traditional power conferences since 2010.

UCF Cincinnati Football Cincinnati running back Jerome Ford (24) carries the ball as he breaks a tackle against UCF linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, right, during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, in Cincinnati. 3 Cincinnati roll past UCF 56-21 on Saturday. The all-time series was tied 3-3 coming in, with the Bearcats winning the previous two meetings by a combined six points. ___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25Copyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Jerome Ford rushed for a career-high 189 yards and four touchdowns to help No. 3 Cincinnati roll past UCF 56-21.

No. 3 Cincinnati will try to show it belongs among the nation's elite teams.

Desmond Ridder threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns and No. 5 Cincinnati routed Temple 52-3 on Friday night for its 23rd straight home victory.

Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell spent this week preparing his team to hit the road. “For us to play a really, really, really good Indiana team that we’ve been talking about since the summer and then you throw the road changeup and the crowd, it's something we haven't experienced in a year and a half." Quarterback Desmond Ridder, last season's American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, quickly explained on Twitter his coach wasn't going anywhere.

Jerome Ford rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns and Desmond Ridder passed for 243 yards and two TDs to lead No. 7 Cincinnati past Murray State 42-7.

Georgia place kicker Jack Podlesny, offensive player of the game, stands with Georgia head coach Kirby Smart after the Peach Bowl NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021, in Atlanta. 6 Cincinnati its only loss of the season with a dramatic 24-21 victory in the Peach Bowl. Daniels, a Southern California transfer, passed for 392 yards while improving to a perfect 4-0 in four starts for Georgia. Podlesny’s winning kick tied a Peach Bowl record for longest field goal and gave Georgia a 22-21 lead. “I would feel much better if we just played our best game,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said.

Cincinnati wide receiver Michael Young Jr. holds the ball up as he scores a touchdown during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against East Carolina, Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, in Cincinnati. 7 Cincinnati rout East Carolina 55-17 on Friday night. The preparation has been good.”In Cincinnati's three-point victory at East Carolina last year, the Pirates scored 43 points and piled up 638 yards. “Desmond Ridder is a talented quarterback," East Carolina coach Mike Houston said. After punting on three of its first four possessions, East Carolina (1-6, 1-5) drove 58 yards in three plays, pulling to 14-7 on Keaton Mitchell's 18-yard run.