Michigan tight end Luke Schoonmaker (86) celebrates with teammates at the end of the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game against Iowa, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Indianapolis. Michigan won 42-3. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

IRVING, Texas (AP) — As college football’s postseason evolved from disconnected bowls to the BCS to the current four-team playoff, it never truly embraced the underdog the way the NCAA Tournament does.

From Tulane to Utah, Boise State to TCU and then UCF, the upstarts occasionally got a chance to play a blue blood in a big bowl game, but they never entered the postseason with a legitimate opportunity to win a national championship.

College football finally has its first Cinderella team: Cincinnati has broken the glass ceiling.

The Bearcats will play Alabama in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve after being selected to the College Football Playoff on Sunday. Michigan will face Georgia in the Orange Bowl semifinal on Dec. 31 and the winners will play for the national championship on Jan. 10 in Indianapolis.

Fourth-seeded Cincinnati is the first team to reach the CFP from a non-Power Five conference in the eight-year history of this postseason format. The Bearcats (13-0) won the American Athletic Conference and head into the postseason as the only unbeaten team in the country.

“It’s an historic day. It really is. In the world of sports, this is history,” AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco said. “This is something probably many, many people never thought they would see.”

Previously, no team from a so-called Group of Five conference had ever even come close to making the playoff.

“We don’t want to carry the flag for the non-big schools, so to speak, we just want to be us,” Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell said.

When the Bowl Championship Series started in 1998, Tulane went unbeaten in Conference USA and didn’t even get a spot in one of the glitzy bowl games. Former Tulane President Scott Cowen was among the first to attack the BCS as an exclusionary cartel.

Under then-coach Urban Meyer, Utah went unbeaten as a member of the Mountain West in 2004 and reached the Fiesta Bowl, but only got to play a so-so Pittsburgh team, meaning the Utes had no shot to finish No. 1.

Boise State created a brand out of being a potential BCS buster during its time in the Western Athletic Conference, winning a remarkable Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma in 2007. TCU was in the Mountain West when it won a Rose Bowl against Wisconsin in 2010.

Utah and TCU ended up getting scooped up by Power Five conferences. If you can’t beat them, ask them to join with you.

The playoff doubled the number of teams that had a chance to win the national title from two to four in 2014, but it didn’t seem to help the little guys.

UCF won 25 straight games over 2017 and ’18 and never did better than eighth in the selection committee’s rankings. The Knights went so far as to declare themselves national champions after they were the only team in major college football to finish the 2017 season unbeaten.

Cincinnati set the foundation for this year’s run by going unbeaten in the regular season last year before losing to Georgia on a late field goal in the Peach Bowl.

Aresco conceded this run has felt bitter sweet at times for him. Cincinnati, along with UCF and Houston, will be leaving the American for the Big 12 soon.

The Bearcats made history with little debate. Playoff selection committee chairman Gary Barta said there was strong consensus for Cincinnati at No. 4 ahead of No. 5 Notre Dame, which had only one loss — at home against the Bearcats in early October. Ohio State finished sixth.

“This will be a real challenge for us in every way, shape and form,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said.

The Bearcats might not have been so comfortably in the field had things gone differently at the Big 12 championship game Saturday. Oklahoma State, which was No. 5 in the CFP rankings going into the game, came up inches short of scoring a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute of its loss to Baylor.

The other big bowl games were also set:

Michigan State (10-2) vs. ACC champion Pitt (11-2) in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30.

Notre Dame (11-1) vs. Oklahoma State (11-2) in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1.

Pac-12 champion Utah (10-3) vs. Ohio State (10-2) in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.

Mississippi (10-2) vs. Baylor (11-2) in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.

Cincinnati’s reward for making history is a matchup with the defending national champions at the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

The Crimson Tide is in the playoff for the seventh time after handing Georgia its first setback of the season in the Southeastern Conference title game Saturday, 41-24.

Georgia (12-1) managed to stay in the field as the third seed. The Bulldogs will be making their second CFP appearance when they meet second-seeded Michigan (12-1) in the Orange Bowl. Coach Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines are in the playoff for the first time after winning the Big Ten for the first time since 2004.

Bowl Glance

All Times Eastern

Friday, Dec. 17

Bahamas Bowl

Nassau, Bahamas

Toledo (7-5) vs. Middle Tennessee (6-6), Noon (ESPN)

Cure Bowl

Orlando, Fla.

N. Illinois (9-4) vs. Coastal Carolina (10-2), 6 p.m. (ESPN2)

Saturday, Dec. 18

Boca Raton Bowl

Boca Raton, Fla.

W. Kentucky (8-5) vs. Appalachian St. (10-3), 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Celebration Bowl

Atlanta

SC State (6-5) vs. Jackson St. (11-1), Noon (ABC)

New Mexico Bowl

Albuquerque

Fresno St. (9-3) vs. UTEP (7-5), 2:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Independence Bowl

Shreveport, La.

No. 12 BYU (10-2) vs. UAB (8-4), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)

LendingTree Bowl

Mobile, Ala.

E. Michigan (7-5) vs. Liberty (7-5), 5:45 p.m. (ESPN)

LA Bowl

Inglewood, Calif.

Oregon St. (7-5) vs. Utah St. (10-3), 7:30 p.m. (ABC)

New Orleans Bowl

New Orleans

No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette (12-2) vs. Marshall (7-5), 9:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Monday, Dec. 20

Myrtle Beach Bowl

Conway, S.C.

Old Dominion (6-6) vs. Tulsa (6-6), 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Tuesday, Dec. 21

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Boise, Idaho

Kent State (7-6) vs. Wyoming (6-6), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Frisco Bowl

Frisco, Texas

No. 24 UTSA (12-1) vs. San Diego St. (11-2), 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Wednesday, Dec. 22

Armed Forces Bowl

Fort Worth, Texas

Missouri (6-6) vs. Army (8-3), 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Thursday, Dec. 23

Frisco Football Classic

Frisco, Texas

Miami (7-5) vs. North Texas (6-6), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Gasparilla Bowl

Tampa, Fla.

UCF (8-4) vs. Florida (6-6), 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Friday, Dec. 24

Hawaii Bowl

Honolulu

Memphis (6-6) vs. Hawaii (6-7), 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday, Dec. 25

Camellia Bowl

Montgomery, Ala.

Ball St. (6-6) vs. Georgia St. (7-5), 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Monday, Dec. 27

Quick Lane Bowl

Nevada (8-4) vs. W. Michigan (7-5), 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Military Bowl

Annapolis, Md.

Boston College (6-6) vs. East Carolina (7-5), 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Tuesday, Dec. 28

Birmingham Bowl

Birmingham, Ala.

No. 21 Houston (11-2) vs. Auburn (6-6), Noon (ESPN)

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

Dallas

Air Force (9-3) vs. Louisville (6-6), 3:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Liberty Bowl

Memphis, Tenn.

Mississippi St. (7-5) vs. Texas Tech (6-6), 6:45 p.m. (ESPN)

Holiday Bowl

San Diego

UCLA (8-4) vs. NC State (9-3), 8 p.m. (FOX)

Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Phoenix

Minnesota (8-4) vs. West Virginia (6-6), 10:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Wednesday, Dec. 29

Fenway Bowl

Boston

Virginia (6-6) vs. SMU (8-4), 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Pinstripe Bowl

New York

Virginia Tech (6-6) vs. Maryland (6-6), 2:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Cheez-It Bowl

Orlando, Fla.

No. 19 Clemson (9-3) vs. Iowa St. (7-5), 5:45 p.m. (ESPN)

Alamo Bowl

San Antonio

No. 14 Oklahoma (10-2) vs. No. 15 Oregon (10-3), 9:15 a.m. (ESPN)

Thursday, Dec. 30

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Charlotte, N.C.

South Carolina (6-6) vs. North Carolina (6-6), 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)

Music City Bowl

Nashville

Purdue (8-4) vs. Tennessee (7-5), 3 p.m. (ESPN)

Peach Bowl

Atlanta

No. 11 Michigan St. (10-2) vs. No. 13 Pittsburgh (11-2), 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Las Vegas Bowl

Las Vegas

Wisconsin (8-4) vs. Arizona St. (8-4), 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Friday, Dec. 31

Gator Bowl

Jacksonville, Fla.

No. 20 Wake Forest (10-3) vs. No. 23 Texas A&M (8-4), 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Sun Bowl

El Paso, Texas

Washington St. (7-5) vs. Miami (7-5), Noon (CBS)

Arizona Bowl

Tucson, Ariz.

Cent. Michigan (8-4) vs. Boise St. (7-5), 2 p.m. (Barstool Sports)

College Football Playoff Semifinal (Cotton Bowl Classic)

Arlington, Texas

No. 1 Alabama (12-1) vs. No. 4 Cincinnati (13-0), 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)

College Football Playoff Semifinal (Orange Bowl)

Miami Gardens, Fla.

No. 2 Michigan (12-1) vs. No. 3 Georgia (12-1), 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday, Jan. 1

Outback Bowl

Tampa, Fla.

No. 22 Arkansas (8-4) vs. Penn St. (7-5), Noon (ESPN2)

Citrus Bowl

Orlando, Fla.

No. 17 Iowa (10-3) vs. No. 25 Kentucky (9-3), 1 p.m. (ABC)

Fiesta Bowl

Glendale, Ariz.

No. 5 Notre Dame (11-1) vs. No. 9 Oklahoma St. (11-2), 1 p.m. (ESPN)

Rose Bowl

Pasadena, Calif.

No. 7 Ohio St. (10-2) vs. No. 10 Utah (10-3), 5 p.m. (ESPN)

Sugar Bowl

New Orleans

No. 6 Baylor (11-2) vs. No. 8 Mississippi (10-2), 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Tuesday, Jan. 4

Texas Bowl

Houston

LSU (6-6) vs. Kansas St. (7-5), 9 p.m. (ESPN)

Monday, Jan. 8

College Football Championship

Indianapolis

Semifinal winners, 8 p.m. (ESPN)