Cincinnati offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock believes the Bearcats are deserving of their position in the College Football Playoff.

Denbrock spoke to the media on Monday ahead of the Cotton Bowl matchup with Alabama, and explained why the Bearcats should be in Dallas.

“They did everything people asked them to do to get to this point. They’ve been successful 13 straight times they’ve taken the field,” Denbrock said of the Cincinnati players. “We belong here.”

Denbrock coordinates the No. 8 ranked scoring offense in America, as the Bearcats average 39.2 points per game.

Cincinnati is the first non-Power 5 school to have a legitimate chance to win the national championship. In previous years and, in some cases, other conferences, programs like Tulane to Utah, Boise State to TCU got a chance to play a blue blood in a big bowl game, but never had a path to win the crystal ball trophy.