The first College Football Playoff rankings have sparked plenty of debate, with Alabama's position among the biggest talking points. The 6-2 Crimson Tide landed at No. 5 overall, ahead of several teams with better records, and most controversially, eight spots above Tennessee, who beat Alabama 26-10 in Knoxville on Oct. 17. The committee has defended its decision by pointing to Alabama's stronger collection of wins, including victories over No. 6 Kentucky and No. 21 South Carolina, along with an early-season win over a previously undefeated Mississippi State.
Committee chairman Hunter Yurachek also explained that Alabama and Tennessee were placed in separate comparison groups, meaning their head-to-head result wasn't directly considered when deciding the gap between them. FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt was among those who took issue with Alabama's position, particularly the massive gap between the Crimson Tide and the Volunteers. "Sorry, what was that?" Klatt said.
"Nobody threw a challenge flag that Alabama is five and Tennessee is what? What is Tennessee, a million!? Did we not see Tennessee drill Alabama head-to-head?
Might as well be a million, you're outside of the playoff. What does it matter if you're 13. You could be 13, you could be 36, same thing, dead.
"Two spots ahead of Texas, eight ahead of Tennessee ... Texas has far better wins than Alabama, and they're a two-loss team. How is Texas not ranked ahead of Alabama?
That makes no sense," Klatt added. "Texas scheduled a real non-conference game. Don't tell me Florida State is a real non-conference game.
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