Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Alabama football fans have reason to celebrate. The College Football Playoff committee lifted the Crimson Tide to No. 3 in its most recent rankings, a two‑spot jump that reflects a string of quality victories.
Committee rationale
CFP Chair and Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek explained the committee’s thinking. He noted that Alabama earned a road win over Kentucky, a team now ranked sixth, and also defeated South Carolina, a top‑25 opponent. Yurachek added that the Tide’s early‑season road victory over an undefeated Mississippi State, which featured a strong quarterback in Kamario Taylor, was a key factor in the committee’s assessment.
Recent on‑field performance
Alabama’s latest win came on Saturday, when the Crimson Tide defeated the committee’s 14th‑ranked LSU Tigers 31‑13 at Tiger Stadium. The victory gave the Tide a third ranked win this season, joining Kentucky, South Carolina and Mississippi State. The team’s only two losses have been to ranked opponents – No. 1 Georgia and No. 8 Tennessee – underscoring the strength of its schedule.
Implications for the playoff
If the season were to end today, Alabama would receive a first‑round bye in the College Football Playoffs and would await the winner of the No. 11 Kentucky versus No. 6 Texas matchup in the quarterfinals. The Tide’s next game is a non‑conference contest against Vanderbilt in Nashville on Saturday, November 14, with kickoff scheduled for 11:45 a.m. CT on the SEC Network.
Full top‑25 rankings
The current CFP top‑25 list is as follows:
- 1. Georgia
- 2. Utah
- 3. Alabama
- 4. UCLA
- 5. Notre Dame
- 6. Texas
- 7. Miami
- 8. Tennessee
- 9. Indiana
- 10. BYU
- 11. Kentucky
- 12. Texas Tech
- 13. Wake Forest
- 14. Houston
- 15. Iowa
- 16. Oregon
- 17. South Carolina
- 18. USC
- 19. Ole Miss
- 20. Ohio State
- 21. LSU
- 22. Missouri
- 23. Arizona
- 24. Boise State
- 25. Oklahoma State
Local coverage
For more in‑depth coverage of Alabama football, listeners can download the Tide 100.9 app. Wyatt Fulton, the station’s DME and Brand Manager, continues to provide live updates, photos and analysis from the team’s practices and games.
Original reporting: The Tuscaloosa Thread — read the source article.
