Committee Ranks Two-Loss Alabama Above Tennessee in CFP Standings
Alabama moves to No. 3 based on schedule strength, while idle Indiana falls five spots to No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.
By Fernando Rojas ·
The College Football Playoff selection committee released its second official ranking of the 2026 season on Tuesday, placing Alabama at No. 3 despite a 7-2 record. The move makes the Crimson Tide the highest-ranked team with two losses in the country. This marks the earliest a two-loss team has appeared in the top four of the CFP rankings.
Tennessee sits at No. 8 with the same 7-2 record. The Volunteers defeated Alabama 26-10 in Neyland Stadium earlier in the season. The gap between the two programs narrowed to five spots this week after standing at eight slots in the previous ranking. The committee cited metrics regarding strength of schedule to justify the disparity.
Selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek explained the decision on ESPN, pointing to Alabama's quality wins. The Tide hold the No. 1 record strength and No. 1 schedule strength in the nation. Yurachek noted that Alabama defeated Mississippi State early in the year when the Bulldogs were 4-0 and featured star running back Kamario Taylor. He stated that Alabama deserves the No. 3 position based on those results.
Indiana experienced the steepest decline among major programs, dropping five spots to No. 9. The Hoosiers did not play a game this week, marking a bye. This is the largest drop for an idle team in the 13-season history of the CFP rankings. The previous record for an idle team was a three-spot fall by Nebraska in 2014 and Penn State in 2022. Yurachek said the team was a victim of having a bye at the wrong time.
Notre Dame made the largest jump in the top 10, moving from No. 11 to No. 5. The Irish defeated previous No. 1 Miami to secure the climb. No team in CFP history had moved from outside the top 10 into the top five in a single week. The committee's reliance on new strength-of-conference data continues to favor the SEC, with nine teams from the conference in the top 25.
Missouri remains in the rankings at No. 22 despite three losses. The Tigers are 0-5 against teams in the current top 25. They lost to unranked Mississippi State, fell 31-3 to Ole Miss, and lost by 14 points to Texas on Saturday. The AP poll did not rank the Tigers. Other three-loss teams in the top 25 include South Carolina at No. 17, Ole Miss at No. 19, and LSU at No. 21.
Texas Tech sits at No. 12, two spots lower than its standing in the AP poll. The Red Raiders are 8-1 overall and 2-0 against top 25 opponents. Their only loss came against unranked Cincinnati. They play No. 25 Oklahoma State on Saturday. New Mexico, which is 8-1 and leads the country in scoring defense, remains unranked by the committee. The Lobos lost their only game 14-6 to Oklahoma in September.
Tennessee plays at Texas A&M on Saturday before hosting LSU on Nov. 21. Alabama has already defeated both opponents this season. The Vols are 2-2 against the top 25, with victories over Alabama and Kentucky. Their two losses came by a combined six points. Indiana hosts No. 18 USC on Saturday after its significant drop in the standings.
