Nov 4, 2026 · 32 min
Klatt challenges the CFP committee’s Alabama-heavy rankings
Playoff Rankings Reaction: Alabama at #5? Ohio State & Notre Dame get dropped + Why it Matters
The opening rankings shape the 12-team playoff race, and Klatt argues the committee’s SEC emphasis could distort teams’ paths to qualification.
- 1Joel Klatt argues Alabama’s No. 5 ranking is difficult to justify before its game at Notre Dame.
- 2Ohio State at No. 12 and Notre Dame at No. 11 emerge as the other major ranking disputes.
- 3The new playoff structure makes early committee judgments consequential for every team’s postseason route.
Don't miss
Klatt identifies Alabama, Ohio State, and Notre Dame as the three most egregiously misranked teams in the opening CFP rankings.
The brief
Joel Klatt frames the season as a race for 12 playoff spots, where the committee’s first rankings establish an early hierarchy and influence every team’s route forward.
The central dispute is Alabama at No. 5, a placement Klatt questions as the Crimson Tide prepares to play Notre Dame.
Klatt also calls Ohio State at No. 12 and Notre Dame at No. 11 among the most egregious placements in the opening rankings.
The broader issue is the committee’s apparent emphasis on the SEC and how the new playoff structure magnifies early ranking decisions.
The episode’s standout argument is that Alabama, Ohio State, and Notre Dame expose competing standards for evaluating playoff contenders.
Weekly email
State of the Pod, every Monday
The week's most-discussed names and stories from podcasts, with the moments behind them. Free, five minutes, unsubscribe in one click.