Penultimate CFP rankings deliver major movement

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

By Chris Marler

The second to last rankings for the College Football Playoff were released on Tuesday, and finally some big changes were made.

The two biggest questions entering Tuesday’s rankings were how far Ole Miss would fall after losing Lane Kiffin, and whether Notre Dame would drop from No. 9 in favor of Alabama, BYU, or Miami, all teams that beat the Irish.

Both questions were answered. Not only did Ole Miss avoid a drop, the Rebels actually climbed to No. 6, rightly avoiding any penalty for their coaching change. Meanwhile, Alabama moved ahead of Notre Dame after its win at Auburn.

“The debate between Alabama and Notre Dame has been one of the strongest debates we’ve had in the last two years. Alabama went on the road in a rivalry game, ran the ball well…they had a great gutsy call on fourth down…and got the win,” said committee spokesperson Hunter Yurachek.

Later Rece Davis asked whether or not the committee discussed how a loss by Alabama in the SEC Championship game would impact their final rankings.

“It did not. We will evaluate the results of the Championship games as they are played after the weekend,” said Yurachek.

He also emphasized that idle teams can still move in either direction, meaning programs like Notre Dame and Miami aren’t locked into their current spots just because their seasons are over.

That is notable because the last several committees have done the opposite. In past years, an extra data point from a conference title win often boosted teams, think of SMU getting in at 11-2 last season despite not beating a ranked opponent. Alabama and BYU won’t have that advantage this year.