Cincinnati's ascent into the College Football Playoff race is getting hard to ignore. The Bearcats keep dominating a schedule full of quality teams and doesn't looking like they're slowing down soon.
While there may not be any top-tier teams in the American Athletic to match Power Five conferences, there are enough quality opponents to boost Cincinnati's profile. The Big 12 is already without an unbeaten team and the Pac-12 is scheduled to play four fewer games against a schedule that isn't much different than the American.
For now, Oregon holds the fourth position behind Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State.