We’ve seen some memorable selection committee crazy in the College Football Playoff era, some absolutely unimaginable contradictions.
And now stupid has entered the room.
Let’s all pull out our phones, shall we? Scan your favorite search engine for Tennessee-Alabama 2026. Then watch the carnage.
The CFP selection committee — which this year added two former Power conference coaches in an effort to get more Xs and Os in the room — watched those 60 minutes of Tennessee emasculating the Tide, and decided two-loss Alabama should be ranked eight spots higher than the team that beat its brains in.
Let’s
recap for a brief moment: Tennessee beat Alabama 26-10, and prior to Alabama’s last drive of the game with Tennessee playing soft coverage to prevent a quick score, the Tide had 141 total yards.
One-hundred forty-one.
What in the world is going on here?
Before we go further, understand that there’s a month remaining in the season. The whole thing could be blown to pieces before we reach the final poll after Championship Week.
But there’s a deeper problem, one that soils everything and contaminates the process. How are we supposed to believe these 13 men and women of the selection committee won’t make a similar, unthinkable move in the last poll of the season?
Use some strange metric, or data entry point, or strength of record, or game control — seriously, how ridiculous is game control? — to choose one team over the other?
If you don’t think that’s a realistic scenario, listen to the selection committee’s rationale for Alabama being ranked eight spots ahead of a team that took it to midfield, pulled its pants down, and spanked them on national television.
I promise, it’s going to make you puke.
“When you’re comparing teams head-to-head, they have to be in the same pod to be compared head-to-head,” said Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek, the selection committee chairman and leader of the pretzel logic brigade.
Translation: Because Tennessee is No. 13 and Alabama is No. 5, there’s no chance to use head-to-head as a determining factor. These nebulous “pods” are no more than six teams deep.
In other words, teams ranked Nos. 1-6, or Nos. 6-11, or No. 8 to does it really matter?
Check me if I'm wrong, Sparky, but you ranked them eight spots apart ― that's why they don't fit in your pods. I mean, Yurachek is acting like it's a force of nature he can't control.
It's out of my hands, man.
It’s utter lunacy.
Yurachek, who has the unenviable job of speaking for 13 people he may or may not agree with, then said Alabama’s resume included a big win over top-10 Kentucky, and No. 23 South Carolina — and, of course, a “big” win over Mississippi State when quarterback Kamario Taylor was being compared to the Good Lord himself by none other than Nick Saban.
Like that wasn’t a plant all along by Saban. Pump up the opponent, reap the benefits down the line.
Look, I don’t care about the dynamics of Ohio State and Indiana, or Notre Dame nearly outside its golden ticket spot of entry. Don’t care that the committee has no love for UCLA because of its weak schedule.
The big problem here is the precedent just set by the committee. They don’t value head-to-head.
Alabama and Tennessee have the same record. They play in the same conference. The Vols won by 16.
They weren’t even ranked remotely close enough to be considered part of the same voting pod. Think about that.
And why? Because Tennessee blew a double-digit lead at South Carolina with less than two minutes to play, and Alabama rolled South Carolina in Tuscaloosa?
Alabama’s big win is No. 6 Kentucky. Tennessee’s big win is — perhaps you’ve heard of this team — No. 5 Alabama.
What happens if Alabama and Tennessee each finish 9-3? What then, Mr. And Mrs. selection committee?
It’s a looooong way from No. 5 to No. 13. How much will one more loss from each team change that?
Look, Tennessee and Alabama could lose four games and the head-to-head is a moot point. But buddy, we have a developing situation here.
We’ve got Miami-Notre Dame 2025 all over again — with the added spicy dynamic of two SEC teams for potentially one spot.
Stupid has entered the room, everyone.
And it’s posted up for a month-long party.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. Listen to him daily, from 12-2 p.m., on 1010XL-Jacksonville.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tennessee embarrassed Alabama. CFP committee embarrassed itself
