Alabama sits at No. 5 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, even though they lost to Tennessee by 16 points just a few weeks ago. That is the big shock in the initial reveal released on Tuesday. For the first time in playoff history, Miami secured the top position. The committee chair admitted this season is wild and filled with parity through the first eight weeks. He noted that the matchups this weekend will likely cause a huge shift in the entire top-25 list. Per the New York Post, the committee chair Hunter Yurachek said, “This has been such a crazy football season, filled with unbelievable parity through the first eight weeks.”
Most fans expected Tennessee to be higher than Alabama given the blowout loss. The Crimson Tide is 6-2 and sits ahead of the Volunteers who are also 6-2. Yurachek explained the logic behind the ranking on Tuesday. “Yes, they had that loss to Tennessee,” Yurachek said of the Tide. “But Tennessee doesn’t have that same level of quality wins. Yes, they beat Alabama, but you have to go deeper” to find Tennessee’s next-best win. The committee decided that Alabama’s other wins carry more weight than the single victory by Tennessee. This rule means head-to-head results only matter if teams land in the same four-team group for seeding.
The Notre Dame Warning
Notre Dame sits at No. 11, which puts them on the bubble as the last team to make the bracket. They must beat Miami on Saturday or risk falling out of the field. The committee felt their schedule did not impress them enough to secure a spot without a big win. Regarding Notre Dame, committee chair Hunter Yurachek stated “A very, very good football team,”. “But when you look at Notre Dame’s schedule and the wins they have versus the teams ahead of them, they don’t have that signature win right now.” Their only loss came in a close 28-24 game against BYU on Oct. 17.
Ohio State landed at No. 12, which leaves them on the outside looking in for the playoff. They beat Indiana earlier but have since lost their starting quarterback Julian Sayin. The committee focused more on their defensive struggles in a 30-18 loss to USC rather than the offensive changes. Fox Sports reported that the top-10 performances feature several showstoppers from Week 9, including Darian Mensah leading Miami to a 38-35 win over North Carolina. Mensah threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns in that game.
UCLA also made a historic jump by landing at No. 8 in the rankings. This is the first time in CFP history the Bruins have been ranked in a spot that would let them host a first-round game. They are 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Big Ten. The Bruins face Minnesota on Saturday in Minneapolis, a team that has beaten Michigan and Iowa this season. If UCLA loses two more games, their path to the playoff could get very tricky. The committee chair believes the rankings will move a lot after this weekend of games. The final 12-team field will be decided based on how these top teams handle their toughest remaining opponents.
