Committee ranks Alabama No. 3 over unbeaten UCLA

01 · The NewsAlabama Jumps to No. 3

On Tuesday, the College Football Playoff committee ranked two-loss Alabama No. 3, ahead of unbeaten No. 4 UCLA and five spots above No. 8 Tennessee, which beat the Crimson Tide 26-10 on Oct. 17.

Committee chair Hunter Yurachek defended Alabama’s placement by pointing to four quality wins, including the victory at Mississippi State on Oct. 3.

“They have four what we call 'quality wins' because we continue to call that win against Mississippi State earlier in the year when they had Kamario Taylor on their team; they were 4-0,” Yurachek said. “Alabama went there and won that game. Alabama, we believe, deserves to be the No. 3 team in the country.”

Mississippi State is now 4-5, but the committee continues to count that victory. Alabama also ranks first nationally in record strength and schedule strength, according to the report. The Tide is 3-2 against the current top 25, with wins over South Carolina, Kentucky and LSU and losses to No. 1 Georgia and Tennessee.

UCLA reached 9-0 with a 34-20 win at Minnesota, while Tennessee beat Kentucky 34-6. Tennessee’s 26-10 win at Neyland Stadium remains the clearest argument against placing Alabama five spots higher, but the committee has not explained how it weighs that result against Alabama’s schedule strength.

The committee also has not provided a full résumé comparison between Alabama and UCLA. Its decision shows that a strong schedule and multiple high-value wins can outweigh a head-to-head loss when the committee separates teams for playoff seeding. For Alabama, the committee’s No. 3 ranking is a major jump from Pate’s preseason projection.

02 · The StakesWhy It Matters

The ranking puts Alabama in position for a top-four playoff seed despite its 7-2 record and head-to-head loss to Tennessee. It also leaves 9-0 UCLA outside the top three and forces both the Bruins and Tennessee to overcome the committee’s preference for Alabama’s schedule and résumé metrics. Josh Pate’s preseason bracket had Alabama No. 10 in the field.

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