Joel Klatt blasts CFP committee over Alabama ranking

College football fans got their first look at the College Football Playoff selection committee’s rankings on Tuesday, and let’s just say there was plenty to talk about.

Some of the rankings are pretty easy. No. 1 Miami is undefeated and has looked like the best team in college football. No. 3 Utah is also undefeated and while they could use some more marquee wins, an in-state showdown against No. 9 BYU this weekend will go a long way in telling us where things stand. No. 25 Boise State is widely considered the best team outside the power-four conferences, and thus get the ceremonial spot at No. 25.

But as with any ranking, there was also a whole lot to complain about, and Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt went on a righteous rant aimed at No. 5 Alabama. The Crimson Tide were the highest-ranked two-loss team in the initial ranking, ahead of the likes of No. 7 Texas, No. 10 Ole Miss, No. 12 Ohio State, and No. 13 Tennessee.

“Ummmm, what was that?” Klatt asked. “Even Alabama fans are texting me, ‘LOL.'”

Klatt took special issue with the committee putting Bama so far ahead of the Vols, as Tennessee beat Alabama head to head rather soundly — a 26–10 win in Knoxville — just two weeks ago.

“‘Well, we never compared Alabama to Tennessee.’ Well WHY NOT?” Klatt asked incredulously. “The person running the meeting should say, ‘Is everyone okay with this? Is there anything that looks off? Does anyone want to basically throw a challenge flag at this moment?’ Nobody threw a challenge flag that Alabama is No. 5 and Tennessee is what, a million? Did we not see Tennessee drill Alabama head to head? Tennessee’s No. 13? Might as well be a million. You’re outside of the playoff. What does it matter if you’re No. 13? You could be 13th, you could be 36th. Same thing: dead.”

Beyond Tennessee, Klatt was also baffled by the fact that Alabama was ahead of Texas, despite the Longhorns playing a tougher schedule so far this season and having better wins.

“It doesn’t even compare to some of the other resumes. Texas has far better wins than Alabama, and they’re a two-loss team. How is Texas not ranked ahead of Alabama? That makes no sense. … They beat Tennessee, who Bama lost to, in the same venue, and they’re two spots behind Alabama? Make it make sense. It can’t. It doesn’t. It just doesn’t.”

Make it make sense. https://t.co/h4c5BBsVXa

— The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod (@JoelKlattShow) November 4, 2026

Klatt’s frustrations are plenty justified, and the rankings process in general is somewhat ridiculous, and holds at best questionable value.

At the same time, the fact that the rankings can produce this sort of discourse in the first week of November is a reason that the CFP committee probably won’t be getting rid of them any time soon.

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