The latest College Football Playoff rankings brought the same old question back into the spotlight: how does Alabama stay ahead of Tennessee when the Volunteers beat the Crimson Tide head-to-head?
On Tuesday night, the answer from CFP chair Hunter Yurachek was all about the full body of work. Alabama checked in at No.
3, Tennessee at No. 8, even though both teams are 7-2 and both have a win over No. 10 Kentucky.
Yurachek pointed to Alabama’s stronger overall resume, which includes wins over LSU and Kamario Taylor-led Mississippi State. That, along with the committee’s view of the schedule, is what kept the Crimson Tide five spots ahead of Tennessee.
“Alabama was in that first pool. Tennessee was not in that first pool,” Yurachek said.
“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 3 wins against teams [with a strength of schedule at or above 110].
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.”
That explanation leaves Tennessee with the head-to-head edge, but Alabama with the better committee résumé for now. And with three weeks left in the regular season, there’s still time for the picture to shift.
The next round of games will matter plenty. Tennessee heads to Texas A&M, while Alabama goes on the road to face Vanderbilt in Nashville.
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For Alabama, the ripple effect matters because scheduling has long been part of the programs playoff rsum and national-brand calculus. Some schools are already canceling previously booked games and hunting for replacements, while Oregon State and Washington State have a waiver that lets them count as Power Five teams despite the upheaval around their conference status. The SECs next move will shape not just who the Crimson Tide plays, but how much room there is to maneuver in a new playoff era. [Read more 🡒]