Story by
College Football Playoff Committee Explains Controversial Alabama Ranking
- Story by
- College Football Playoff Committee Explains Controversial Alabama Ranking
Tuesday was a pretty good day for fans of red in the state of Alabama. Republicans retained their major offices in the general election and the Alabama Crimson Tide were stunningly named the No. 5 team in the first College Football Playoff ranking of the season.
Alabama became one of the highest ranked two-loss teams to reach that high of a perch in early November in the tournament's history. It was one of the most shocking and controversial decisions of the Selection Committee since the expansion to 12 teams in 2024.
Advertisement
But CFP Selection Committee chair and Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek defended the decision, citing the tremendous road win the Crimson Tide had over Mississippi State as a quality win for Alabama.
"Mississippi State from a computer aspect will fall some, but the human element and the discussion that we have in the room, we recall the team that Mississippi State was back in September and early October before their quarterback was injured. They were 4-0. They had gone on the road and really dismantled a Minnesota team and looked very good doing so. I think maybe Gameday had gone to that. It was a big game to play Alabama at home, and Alabama went in there and really took care of business and dominated that game," Yurachek explained, via Barrett Sallee .
"The committee, I think, will always view that as a quality game regardless of what the computer may say about the strength of that game."
Advertisement
Good enough?
There's really no scenario in which that explanation will be good enough to satisfy fans. Even if their 56-23 win over Mississippi State was so good that it counts as a quality win, they immediately followed up that win with back-to-back losses to a pair of actual College Football Playoff contenders in Georgia and Tennessee, losing the latter game by 16 points.
A far better argument might have been for Alabama's blowout win over Kentucky, as the Wildcats are currently ranked No. 6 and control their own destiny in the SEC Championship hunt.
Advertisement
Sep 12, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Keelon Russell (12) looks to throw a pass during the second quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn ImagesJordan Prather-Imagn Images
Instead, the committee ranked Alabama three full spots ahead of the UCLA Bruins, the only remaining unbeaten team between the Big Ten and the SEC. It's very strange.
More importantly, it looks very corrupt to fans.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Nov 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
