College Football Playoff Committee Chair Hunter Yurachek explained the rationale for placing Notre Dame above Alabama in the most recent playoff rankings. Both teams have identical records of 8-2, yet their paths to this point have varied.
Alabama”s losses came against an unranked Florida State and No. 8 Oklahoma. In contrast, Notre Dame fell to No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 13 Miami. While Alabama boasts victories over four teams currently in the CFP Top 25, Notre Dame has only one such win.
“We likely spent a significant amount of time in our committee room evaluating a few teams, including Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and Alabama,” Yurachek noted. “Alabama had a stretch with four impressive wins against teams such as Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Tennessee. On the other hand, Notre Dame achieved a notable win at Southern Cal and a commanding victory against a Pitt team that was ranked in our top 25.”
When breaking down the comparisons between Notre Dame and Alabama, Yurachek emphasized the significance of their losses. Notre Dame”s defeats were to two teams ranked in the top 13, including a narrow three-point loss to Miami at the beginning of the season and a one-point loss to Texas A&M. Conversely, Alabama”s losses include a two-point defeat last week to Oklahoma and an earlier 31-17 loss to Florida State, a team currently sitting at 5-5.
Despite the current ranking, Alabama still has a pathway to the playoff, provided they win all their remaining games.
