AAC Commish Rips CFP Committee for UCF's No. 15 Ranking, USF Being Unranked

American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco said the College Football Playoff selection committee should be showing more respect to UCF, which was ranked 15th in the latest CFP release despite an unblemished 10-0 record. 

On Wednesday, Aresco told Heather Dinich of ESPN.com the Knights aren't "getting a fair shake" and argued the lack of deference for the conference is also shown in 9-1 South Florida being unranked.

"I just don't think our league is garnering the respect it deserves, period," he said. "I feel strongly about it. The evidence is in."

Aresco added UCF should be placed "somewhere in the top 10" ahead of its clash with USF on Friday afternoon. That game will determine which team wins the AAC East Division for an opportunity to face Memphis in the conference's championship game.

The problem for the Knights, Bulls and the rest of the AAC is strength of schedule.

Although UCF is undefeated, it ranks 19th in ESPN's Football Power Index and 11th in strength of record, according to ESPN.com. Based on the FPI metric, the Knights have only faced one team ranked inside the top 60 (No. 33 Memphis) en route to their 10-0 mark.

"We have gone through in great detail the schedule that Central Florida has played," selection committee chairman Kirby Hocutt said Tuesday, per Dinich. He noted it lacks the depth of No. 14 Mississippi State, which has three losses, all against top-10 opponents.

"Central Florida is having a fine season and certainly has the committee's respect," CFP executive director Bill Hancock said. "The committee evaluates each team fully and deliberately each week. Two weekends of great football remain, and the committee will continue to closely observe each team's performances."

Although UCF has an opportunity to add noteworthy victories over South Florida and Memphis, it's hard to imagine a scenario where it jumps from No. 15 into a top-four spot in the coming weeks. The Knights would need absolute chaos elsewhere around college football.