I think all the suggestions point to the simple answer, there isn't such a way, short of bankrolling something that if you could reasonably bankroll it, you wouldn't need to do this in the first place (or just win and win and hope someone lets you in).
Utah did most of the same things as Cincy (did beat Bama once, tho), they just were in the right spot when a desperate and badly run P5 wanted a boost, plus they were a state flagship. FSU had a team at No. 2 heading into the bowls before the great drive for attention.
They're not allowed because of structural reasons. At a point, it is what it is. So no need to say, "What if they could design a whole schedule out of Nebraska games?" Keep winning, hope a spot in the club opens and understand the rankings are just adornments.
That's a big thing. Cincinnati will NEVER be the draw that Utah is, because it's not a flagship, or even a "flagship-equivalent", i.e. one of two schools in a state that might be considered on par (IU/Purdue, UNC/NCSt, Iowa/ISU, etc).
With all the conference realignment that has occurred from the formation of the Big 12 to today, very little has changed with regards to BCS/P5 membership.
The only net gains (mid-major in 96, P5 today) have been Utah, Louisville and Texas Christian.
The only net loss (BCS in 96, G5 today) was Temple.
The rest of the original Big East are all in P5 conferences today. There were a few teams with a brief stint at the BCS level in the revamped Big East, but they all wound up right back where they started when the Big East became the American following its demotion from P5 to G5. A few like Cincy, USF and UConn were able to make the most of it while it lasted, and make a little noise.
And I think those are worth looking at.
Utah I don't think was a desperation play by the PAC-12. In many ways both they and Colorado "fit" the profile of the PAC-12, both are flagship universities in their state, and were pretty natural fits.
TCU and WVU were a desperation play by the Big 12. They had already lost Nebraska and Colorado to be down to 10, and were losing A&M and Mizzou the next year. They would have been down to 8 and it would have killed the conference IMHO. TCU doesn't improve the footprint of the conference and WVU isn't even remotely close to a geographic fit, so that was purely a numbers play.
Louisville was also a bit of a numbers game. They were a Big East school that was probably going to be left out of the conference realignment when the Big East fell apart. The teams the ACC wanted when it went to 14 (Pitt/Syracuse, plus ND as a special scheduling arrangement) were invited for 2013. But Maryland ditched the ACC to the B1G and opened up an extra spot. If Maryland hadn't left the ACC, I definitely don't think that Louisville would have been invited to the B1G, so I doubt they would have found a home in the ACC. I'm not sure they would have landed in P5.
So what will get Cincy a potential spot somewhere? Someone else vacating a spot or some conference wanting to increase their numbers further. The Big 12 is out IMHO because they realize that Cincy will dilute them, not improve them, unless someone leaves the conference. Which means unless the B1G and SEC start raiding the ACC [or Big 12] to get to 16, and the ACC [or Big 12] starts considering Cincy just to remain alive, they don't have a home.
