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CFP committee is about to have no leg to stand on for favoring Alabama over Tennessee

Tennessee Volunteers fans will be quick to agree with Scott Van Pelt on these absurd rankings.
ByBraulio Perez
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Tennessee players surround Alabama running back Daniel Hill (4) during a football game between Tennessee and Alabama at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Oct. 17, 2026.
Tennessee players surround Alabama running back Daniel Hill (4) during a football game between Tennessee and Alabama at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Oct. 17, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Now that the dust has settled a bit, it's fair to say that plenty of people are still pretty ticked off with how the College Football Playoff rankings turned out. We hate to beat a dead horse, but on which planet does it make sense for Alabama to be No. 5 in the eyes of the committee, while Tennessee is eight sports behind them at No. 13?

Both teams are 6-2 on the year, but the Vols absolutely crushed the Crimson Tide when the two SEC powerhouses faced off at Neyland Stadium. Countless people are pretty disgusted by this, with the long list including fan-favorite ESPN sportscaster Scott Van Pelt. This week, SVP didn't hold back in going after the committee a bit, and it's something the Tennessee faithful can appreciate.

"Alabama is No. 5 and Tennessee is No. 13? It doesn't make any sense," Van Pelt said with passion. "Alabama played them. Tennessee beat them by double digits. One's No. 5, and one's No. 13, with the same record? Because of strength of record? They played. Rocky Top by 16."

Tennessee dominating Alabama is something the CFP committee clearly ignored

Thanks for having the guts to say this, Scott. Both teams are 6-2, yet the Vols stomped Bama. We have no problem with the Crimson Tide being higher than Tennessee because their other loss was to No. 2 Georgia, while the win over Kentucky has also stood out to the committee it looks like. However, eight spots? That's where the beef comes in.

The hope is that things will get taken care of for next week's rankings, as Tennessee has a golden opportunity to make a significant jump if it can take care of business against No. 6 Kentucky. Should the Vols be victorious and take down Will Stein's players in convincing fashion, then what will Hunter Yurachek and Co. decide?

During the CFP show on ESPN, Yurachek brought up 'quality wins' for being the main reason Bama was so much higher than Tennessee. Add Kentucky to Tennessee's list, plus the head-to-head win against Kalen DeBoer, and there will be zero reason for the Vols to not only close the gap on Alabama for next Tuesday, but also probably jump them, too.

If there's still a wide gap between the two, then it will be nothing more than Alabama favoritism being showcased, which is something everyone in Knoxville is quite used to. This is something the locker room probably doesn't care about, but it should give the Vols even more of a reason to smoke Kentucky in primetime in Week 10.

The Wildcats are 7-1 on the year, with things clicking brilliantly both on offense and defense. Still, Kentucky is yet to play in a road environment like the one at Tennessee, which sure could be a bit of a shock for Kenny Minchey and his teammates.

Defensively, Jim Knowles is going to cook with serious gas, while George MacIntyre will need to be in the zone to lead the Vols offense down the field. With a win, the CFP hopes will not only remain alive, but skyrocket. And once the Week 2 CFP rankings are dropped, there will be no reason for Alabama to be so much higher than UT, period.

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