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The second College Football Playoff rankings generated significant debate after two-loss Alabama climbed to No. 3, making it the highest-ranked two-loss team in committee history. Meanwhile, Tennessee remained five spots behind the Crimson Tide at No. 8 despite owning an identical 7-2 record and defeating Alabama 26-10 earlier this season.
SEC Support and Notre Dame’s Historic Jump
Selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek defended Alabama’s positioning on ESPN, citing strength of schedule and quality victories. “They have four what we call quality wins because we continue to call that win against Mississippi State earlier in the year when they had Kamario Taylor on their team; they were 4-0,” Yurachek said. “Alabama went there and won that game. Alabama, we believe, deserves to be the No. 3 team in the country.”
The Crimson Tide’s top-ranked metrics helped keep them ahead of one-loss Notre Dame and undefeated UCLA. The Fighting Irish made history by surging six spots from No. 11 to No. 5 following a win against top-ranked Miami, marking the largest single-week jump into the top five in CFP history.
The committee’s evaluations continue to favor the SEC, placing nine of its teams in the top 25. Seven SEC programs earned higher positions from the committee than in the AP poll, while none were ranked lower. Under next season’s expanded 24-team playoff format, nine SEC teams would qualify, securing four first-round byes.
Indiana Suffers Bye-Week Fall
Indiana experienced an unprecedented setback during its week off, dropping five places to No. 9. The drop represents the largest fall for an unplayed team in the 13-season history of the rankings, surpassing three-spot drops by Nebraska in 2014 and Penn State in 2022.
Yurachek noted that the Hoosiers were “probably a victim of having a bye week at the wrong time,” as victories by Notre Dame and Utah reshuffled the top ten. Indiana will look to rebound on Saturday when they host No. 18 USC.
Other SEC teams with three losses maintained favorable positions. Missouri was ranked No. 22 despite an 0-2 record against top-25 teams and being unranked in the AP poll. South Carolina, Ole Miss, and LSU also remained in the top 25 despite holding three losses each.
Underrated Contenders Challenge Rankings
Tennessee remains behind Alabama despite a head-to-head victory and victories over two top-25 opponents by a combined 44 points. While committee protocol places head-to-head results second among evaluation principles, Alabama’s superior common-opponent performance against South Carolina helped keep the Crimson Tide ahead. Tennessee will finish its regular season against Texas A&M and LSU.
Texas Tech sits at No. 12 as the first team outside the top 11, holding an 8-1 record and two top-25 victories. The committee placed the Red Raiders two spots lower than their AP poll ranking. Group of Six contenders also faced low placement; Boise State was ranked No. 24, seven spots lower than its AP ranking, while 8-1 New Mexico remained unranked by the committee despite holding the nation’s top scoring defense and an AP ranking of No. 23.
Notre Dame sits at No. 5, one spot short of a first-round bye and lower than its AP rank. Without a conference championship game on their schedule, the Fighting Irish will need losses from higher-ranked teams during their remaining matchups against Boston College, SMU, and Syracuse to move into the top four.
