Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Luke Fickell on Tuesday reacted to his Cincinnati Bearcats being snubbed by the College Football Playoff rankings.

The first CFP rankings of the season were released on Tuesday. Despite being ranked No. 2 by both major polls, Cincinnati was ranked No. 6 by the CFP.

Fickell, who is in his fifth season coaching Cincinnati, questioned whether committee chairman Gary Barta was qualified to offer an opinion.

Fickell was hosting his radio show on WLW in Cincinnati when the rankings were released. He acknowledged that if being ranked No. 6 motivates his players, that would be a good thing. Beyond that, he said he didn’t have much of a reaction.

Cincinnati has two more chances to impress the committee: when they face SMU, and in the AAC championship game. We’re still guessing the committee will find a way to keep them out.

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