Buoyed by their Oct. 2 win at Notre Dame and No. 2 spot in the latest AP Top 25 poll, Cincinnati appeared poised to be slotted highly in Tuesday's inaugural College Football Playoff ranking reveal. Instead, the Bearcats are on the outside looking in.
Cincinnati clocked in at No. 6 in the initial poll, two spots outside of the projected playoff field and behind two one-loss teams in No. 2 Alabama and No. 4 Oregon. When asked for clarity about how the committee reached the conclusion to rank Cincinnati so low, CFP chairman Gary Barta pointed to the Bearcats' strength of schedule.