The Cincinnati Bearcats were one of the biggest storylines of the initial College Football Playoff Rankings, ranking sixth, the highest ranking among Group of Five teams. Many college football evaluators thought the unbeaten Bearcats deserved to be ranked higher.

Well, the Bearcats didn’t exactly ace the eye test on Saturday, but they at least evaded what would’ve been a season-crushing loss. And hey, they’re still undefeated at 9-0.

Cincinnati hung on to beat Tulsa 28-20 on Saturday, despite being dangerously close to blowing the game in the final seconds.

The Bearcats appeared to have a win all but locked up after stopping Tulsa short of the goal line with 1:14 remaining. All Cincinnati had to do was run the clock out, and Tulsa only had two minutes remaining. Basically, unless Cincinnati fumbled, this game was over. Welp, Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder indeed fumbled on first down from the two-yard line.

So, the Golden Hurricane had another golden opportunity to get a touchdown and set up the chance for a game-tying two-point conversion. However, Tulsa’s ensuing four downs didn’t go well.

After reaching the one-yard line on first down, Tulsa was stuffed three straight times, with the fourth-down play ending in particularly frustrating fashion. It initially appeared that Steven Anderson may have reached over and crossed the goal line for a touchdown before fumbling, but the officials — and review — determined that he fumbled first.

Tulsa (3-6) entered the fourth quarter trailing 28-12, and they entered the game as 22.5-point underdogs. They were oh so close to pulling off an incredible comeback and upset. Instead, it’s a heartbreaking loss.

For Cincinnati, this win won’t do any good for their CFP chances, but they’ll still take the victory and undefeated record- especially with No. 3 Michigan State losing on Saturday. They’ll look to play much better and reach 10-0 with a game at South Florida next week.

[Photo Credit: ESPN2]

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.