Alabama football is sitting pretty at No. 5 in the College Football Playoff’s first 2026 rankings, despite carrying two losses. This puts the Crimson Tide ahead of several one-loss teams and even an undefeated UCLA squad, making their high ranking an immediate talking point for anyone following the sport.
How a Two-Loss Team Climbed So High
For a team that probably feels its back is against the wall, Alabama has to view every game moving forward as a playoff game, a win-or-go-home situation. They’ve already taken tough losses this season, falling to Georgia and suffering a 16-point defeat to Tennessee at Neyland Stadium on October 17. Yet, the CFP committee has placed them above other two-loss teams like Texas, Ole Miss, and Ohio State. Alabama isn’t just *in* the top tier of two-loss teams, they *are* the highest-ranked one in the country.
Outranking the Undefeated and One-Loss Contenders
The real head-scratcher here isn’t just that Alabama has two losses and is still No. 5, but who they are ranked ahead of. The Crimson Tide are sitting pretty above undefeated UCLA. Let that sink in for a second: an undefeated team is behind a two-loss team. On top of that, Alabama also leapfrogs one-loss teams including BYU, Notre Dame, and Kentucky, a team they beat in Lexington on September 12. Above them in the rankings are Miami, Georgia, Utah, and Indiana, but their position among the rest of the field is what has everyone asking questions.
So, why exactly is Alabama being viewed this highly by the CFP committee right now? That’s the question on everyone’s mind after this first set of rankings dropped.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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