With the first College Football Playoff rankings out, unquestionably one of the biggest shocks was that Alabama is checking in at No. 5. How?! It was a gift from the Football Gods for Kalen DeBoer, especially with Tennessee ranked No. 13. It just doesn't make an ounce of sense that the Crimson Tide are eight spots higher than the Vols, who, by the way, are probably listed correctly, for now, at 13.
Still, with Tennessee dominating the Crimson Tide last month at Neyland Stadium, this is all a bit surprising. CFP Committee Chair Hunter Yurachek did his best to give a reasonable explanation for the difference between Bama and UT, but it didn't hit the way he thought it would. With him calling out the Vols a bit, too, it will give the locker room even more of a reason to take down No. 6 Kentucky this weekend.
“Yes, they (Crimson Tide) had a loss to Tennessee, but Tennessee doesn’t have the same level of quality wins,” Yurachek said. “They have the win against Alabama, but you have to go a little bit deeper to see Tennessee with another quality win on its schedule.”
Hunter Yurachek calling out Tennessee's lack of quality wins can be taken care of in Week 10
On one side, we get Yurachek's point, as Alabama has wins vs. Kentucky, South Carolina, and Mississippi State (at full strength with Kamario Taylor) under its belt. Still, the way Tennessee trounced the Crimson Tide in Knoxville was a statement and a half. Tennessee lost to then No. 1 Texas, plus the deflating defeat on the road to South Carolina, which is now No. 21 in the committee's eyes.
Sorry, but the eight-spot difference is just absurd, and the fact that Alabama is No. 5 doesn't sit well with a lot of people either. As for the Vols' lack of quality wins, that can all change in a big way over the next few weeks. Should the Vols beat the No. 6 Wildcats, Yurachek will have to hype up Tennessee in a major way for next week's show.
Tennessee No. 13, makes sense. Alabama No. 5? Is the committee drunk?! #GBO
— All For Tennessee (@allfortennessee) November 4, 2026
Soon enough, a dance with No. 14 LSU will be on the way as well. With that game being at Neyland Stadium, we'd love nothing more than for Lane Kiffin to enjoy a Tennessee-sized piece of humble pie. Would those quality wins be enough for ya, Hunter?
They better be. With the Vols at 6-2 on the season, there's no reason that 10-2 won't get the hopes over the top, especially with the committee currently having the Vols and Ohio State as the first two teams out. While, in a sense, these initial rankings are a bit annoying, everything will work itself out before you know it.
This is incredibly important for the Vols and Heupel, as every contest moving forward is a must-win battle. With that said, Tennessee is 8-2 vs. Kentucky in the last 10 showdowns, Texas A&M is a bit of a mess, LSU at home is beyond winnable, and Vanderbilt... nothing like a cupcake to close out the regular season. Everything is right in front of UT to make some magic happen to play in the CFP, and the committee better be watching closely.
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