The College Football Playoff selection committee placed two-loss Alabama at No. 3 in its latest rankings released Tuesday, placing the Crimson Tide ahead of undefeated UCLA, several one-loss programs, and a two-loss Tennessee team that defeated Alabama head-to-head earlier this season.
Schedule Strength Drives Committee Decision
Selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek addressed Alabama’s standing during an interview on ESPN, attributing the placement to the program’s tough overall schedule.
Yurachek noted that Alabama holds top metrics in schedule difficulty and highlighted four significant victories, including a road win against a Mississippi State squad that was 4-0 at the time behind quarterback Kamario Taylor.
“They’re No. 1 in record strength, No. 1 in schedule strength,” he said of the Crimson Tide. “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. Alabama went there and won that game. Alabama we believe deserves to be the No. 3 team in the country.”
Yurachek explained that the committee evaluated Alabama within its initial top tier of teams during deliberations, whereas Tennessee was grouped separately due to its overall schedule profile.
“Alabama was in that first pool. Tennessee was not in that first pool. Tennessee has got a couple of quality wins—the win they just had at Kentucky and obviously the win they have against Alabama. They have three wins against teams their schedule strength is 110 and above,” Yurachek said.
“When you look at their schedule compared to Alabama’s schedule, the committee feels like—and so do the metrics—that Alabama has got a stronger schedule. That’s why Alabama was in that first pool of teams and Tennessee was not.”
Comparing Resumes and Remaining Schedules
Alabama’s resume features early victories against Kentucky and South Carolina, both of which are currently ranked in the top 17, along with a road win last Saturday against 21st-ranked LSU. Meanwhile, Tennessee holds key wins over Kentucky and a 26-10 head-to-head victory against Alabama.
The ordering between the two teams could shift as the season progresses. In the previous season, Notre Dame remained ahead of Miami for most of the committee’s rankings despite losing to the Hurricanes, before Miami ultimately moved past Notre Dame in the final release.
Tennessee faces a demanding stretch run with upcoming road matchups against Texas A&M and LSU before finishing against Vanderbilt. Alabama’s remaining regular season schedule includes games against Vanderbilt, Chattanooga, and Auburn.
