If the question is who had the toughest Tuesday night, the Cincinnati Bearcats have a pretty good case. Despite a top-10 win on its resume, an unblemished record, and a No. 2 standing in the AP Top 25, the class of the American Athletic Conference found itself behind not 1 but a pair of 2-loss teams when the initial College Football Playoff rankings were revealed.

The Bearcats were ranked No. 6 by the CFP committee. On one hand, it’s the highest initial ranking for a Group of 5 school in the history of the CFP and the Bearcats find themselves ahead of an unbeaten Power 5 team in Oklahoma.

On the other, they sit on the outside of the Playoff looking in with the heavyweights on their schedule already in the rear. Cincy beat Indiana 38-24 and Notre Dame 24-13 in nonconference play, both on the road. But CFP chair Gary Barta questioned what else there was.

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“The committee has great respect for Cincinnati,” Barta said. “The win at Notre Dame was a really impressive win. But who else did they beat? Looking at the big picture, we feel six is the right spot for Cincinnati.”

Left on the Cincinnati schedule? Home games against Tulsa and SMU and road games against USF and East Carolina; SMU is the only one with a winning record from the bunch.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit had this to say on the Bearcats:

“The reality is this, if you’re a Cincinnati fan, you are pulling for the Georgia Bulldogs to win the rest of their games, including the SEC Championship. That would eliminate Alabama,” Herbstreit said. “After that, you’re looking at the Big Ten. You have Ohio State, you have Michigan, and you have Michigan State. That potentially works itself out with one of those surviving as a Big Ten champion.

“And don’t forget this, Cincinnati fans. It’s not just what’s in front of you, it’s what’s behind you. If Oklahoma keeps winning, and they’ve got some behemoth games on their schedule coming up with Baylor, Iowa State, and Bedlam coming up in Stillwater against Oklahoma State, and a Big 12 championship. You have to worry about what’s behind you, not just what’s in front of you. Clearly, the Bearcats are going to need some help.”