Robert Griffin III and Paul Finebaum found themselves on the same side of the first College Football Playoff rankings, and the target of their frustration was Alabama’s place ahead of Tennessee.
The opening CFP poll stirred up the usual debate, but this one hit a nerve because of what happened on the field. Tennessee beat Alabama 26-10 in Neyland Stadium, yet the rankings had Tennessee at No. 13 and Alabama at No. 5.
“The CFP rankings are drunk.Alabama can’t be ranked ahead of Tennessee right now. Both have 2 losses and Tennessee beat them head to head by 2 scores.”
Paul Finebaum rips ‘drunk’ College Football Playoff rankings https://t.co/Ozu9XKPypr
Finebaum didn’t hold back on the committee’s choice.
“Alabama has no business being where they are,” said Finebaum. “That is truly absurd to have Alabama that far ahead of Tennessee, a team that just disemboweled them a couple weeks ago in Neyland Stadium....
I'm used to the committee not making any sense. I'm hoping that was some late Halloween trick on America.
”
He followed that up by calling the ranking one of the most baffling he’s ever seen.
“That’s not say Alabama/Tennessee was the only issue Finebaum had-- in fact, far from it.
"It is about a discombobulated a ranking as I've ever seen," Finebaum said. "It really doesn't make any sense."
The head-to-head argument gets messy fast, though. Missouri beat Florida, Florida beat Auburn, Auburn beat Georgia, Georgia beat Alabama, and Alabama beat Tennessee, which opens the door to all kinds of circular logic. Missouri also lost to Mississippi State, which only makes the chain harder to untangle.
The debate matters even more with what could be the final year before a 24-team Playoff arrives. The SEC already has a pile of two-loss teams in the mix: Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas, LSU, Missouri, and Tennessee. Georgia and Kentucky are the only teams on the CFP contenders list with just one loss.
ESPN’s FPI still gives Alabama a 69% chance to make the Playoff, and LSU sits at 51.5%. That could become even more complicated if Alabama loses at LSU in Week 10, especially with the committee likely facing a crowded field.
The last two Playoff brackets each included one three-loss team, and Clemson got in last season by winning the ACC Championship. Alabama was also a controversial three-loss selection a year ago, which only adds more weight to how the committee sorts things out this time around.
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