This was not Cincinnati's week.
It started when the unbeaten Bearcats were slated No. 6 in the College Football Playoff committee's first rankings even though they were No. 2 in the coaches poll and held a win at No. 8 Notre Dame.
So entering Saturday, two things needed to happen: an impressive win against Tulsa and Cincinnati's upcoming marquee opponents also build their resumes.
Neither happened.
The Bearcats started well enough against the Golden Hurricane with touchdowns on two of their first three drives. It was 14-0, and it seemed like an easy day was ahead after closer-than-expected wins against Navy and Tulane in the previous two weeks had dimmed their ranking outlook.