By Zion Murray
The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2026 have arrived, and the selection committee has already made several questionable decisions. From Alabama receiving an undeserved top-five ranking to Tennessee sitting at No. 13, the opening rankings leave plenty to criticize.
Strength of schedule is clearly a major priority for the committee. Difficult schedules deserve recognition, quality victories should carry weight and teams should be evaluated based on the competition faced throughout the season. However, there is a difference between rewarding a difficult schedule and completely overlooking what happens on the field.
One of the biggest examples of this is Alabama. The Crimson Tide enter the rankings with a 6-2 record, yet somehow sit comfortably inside the top five. Even more questionable is the fact that Tennessee, also 6-2, sits eight spots behind Alabama at No. 13. A crucial detail to remember is that the Vols defeated Alabama by 16 points when the teams met head-to-head in Knoxville.
Being ranked in the top five also opens the door for the Crimson Tide to make the playoffs as a three-loss team. A team with two losses should not be sitting at No. 5 while a team with the same record and a convincing head-to-head victory sits outside the top 10. The committee clearly puts a lot of stock in Alabama’s strength of schedule and their win against Kentucky in September.
The Volunteers deserve the same credit for their schedule and the quality of their performances. A three-point loss to No. 7 Texas and No. 21 South Carolina is not nearly enough to disregard the 16-point victory against Alabama. Despite the Vols’ defense keeping them alive for a potential College Football Playoff berth, the offense might be lacking in the eyes of the committee. A win against the Wildcats on Saturday may be what it takes for the Vols to receive the same amount of respect as the Crimson Tide.
Alabama is not the only team ranked too high in the first College Football Playoff rankings as Indiana received a lot of respect from the committee. An 8-1 record is certainly impressive, but the Hoosiers have not looked like the fourth-best team in the country throughout the season. Indiana has struggled to look convincing against several middle-of-the-pack opponents.
Close calls and underwhelming performances against average competition should matter when evaluating whether a team belongs among the nation’s elite. There is no denying that Indiana’s defense has looked impressive this season. However, the offense has struggled to reach the same level of efficiency that last year’s National Championship-winning team was able to produce.
Notre Dame being ranked at No. 11 is another decision that was not expected and came out of nowhere. The Irish were just ranked at No. 4 in this week’s AP Poll but fell seven spots in the first playoff rankings. Despite a questionable strength of schedule and a loss to No. 9 BYU, the Irish have looked like one of the best teams in the country at times. The upcoming matchup against Miami provides an opportunity to make a needed statement as the Irish are most likely eliminated from playoff contention with a loss.
Teams such as UCLA and Wake Forest have been overlooked in the first edition of the rankings, while teams such as Texas and Alabama received a lot of praise due to strength of schedule and their conference’s prestige. The committee has managed to create controversy before some of the biggest games of the season have even been played, and this has undoubtedly set the scene for an intense final stretch of the regular season.
There is still plenty of football remaining and the rankings will change. However, the opening edition has exposed a major problem with the selection process.