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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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The release of the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season has stirred up plenty of controversy, including where the Alabama Crimson Tide were ranked among the top teams.
The Crimson Tide, 6-2 overall and 5-2 in conference play, landed at No. 5 in the first edition of the CFP rankings. The ranking raised eyebrows, and College Football Playoff selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek's explanation drew serious criticism.
"I think you look first at Alabama went on the road and beat the team that we have ranked sixth this week in Kentucky. They also beat South Carolina, who's ranked in our top 25, and I think many forget that they went on the road and beat Mississippi State when Mississippi State was undefeated and at full strength and we really valued that as a strong win for Alabama," Yurachek explained while speaking to Rece Davis on ESPN.
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"'Why did you rank Alabama so high?' 'They beat Mississippi State.' Words I never thought I'd hear," Barstool Sports founder and owner Dave Portnoy said in a message, resharing the ESPN video clip.
More news: Ohio State Fans Have the Same Complaint About Buckeyes’ CFP Ranking
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On X, fans expressed frustration and disbelief over Yurachek's explanation of Alabama's high ranking.
"What are we doing here? Time to do away with the committee. Just take the top 2 in each conference with a couple of WCs and be done with it," a commenter fired off as a reply to the video.
"'Alabama is our favorite brand so we value whatever they do as quality' is what he meant to say," another commenter suggested.
"They’re setting Bama up to make playoffs with three losses. [Expletive] the SEC and ESPN!!! Scumbags," another commenter said.
Others commented, "everyone on the committee needs to be fired starting with him" and "The SEC bias in college football that continues to linger is absolutely ruining the sport. It's infuriating."
Alabama suffered its two losses in its past three games. They lost a close game to Georgia on Oct. 10 and fell 26-10 to No. 13 Tennessee on Oct. 17.
Yurachek's emphasis on the Mississippi State victory particularly frustrated fans, and that's understandable, considering how the Bulldogs have performed after Alabama defeated them weeks ago.
As of this writing, the Bulldogs are 4-4 overall and 2-4 in the SEC. Alabama defeated them 56-24 in early October. The committee clearly placed significant weight on Mississippi State's performance and record at the time when determining Alabama's first CFP rankings.
Alabama faces a tough game on Saturday, Nov. 7, as they visit the LSU Tigers in a matchup between two potential CFP teams. One has to wonder if a third loss would seriously impact their CFP chances, or they'd still get a favorable ranking from the committee.
More news: UConn’s Dan Hurley Explains Unexpected Postgame Behavior After Milestone Win
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