When the latest College Football Playoff rankings came out on Tuesday night, many were shocked to see a 2-loss Iowa State team jump up to No. 7 ahead of now-No. 8 Cincinnati, an undefeated American Athletic Conference squad.

Once the shock wore off, anger set in. AAC commissioner Mike Aresco was among those who were baffled by the CFP committee’s decision.

On Wednesday, he told the Cincinnati Enquirer that the committee’s bias against the Group of 5 was undeniable:

“It really can’t be defended. It’s indefensible,” Aresco told The Enquirer on Wednesday. “This team (Iowa State) has two losses. Why do we bother to play the games? The team ahead of (Cincinnati) lost by 17 points, 31-14, to Louisiana. That team also lost another game to Oklahoma State.

“It does appear to be a P5 (Power Five) world. I’m upset because the standards haven’t been the same for the P5 and for us (Group of Five). They simply haven’t been.”

Cincinnati’s game against a ranked Tulsa squad was canceled this weekend due to COVID-19 issues in the Bearcats’ program. However, the 2 schools are scheduled to meet in the AAC title game on Dec. 19.

Will the Bearcats be able to move up in the next CFP rankings? They’re going to need some help.