CFP Committee chair tells why Alabama jumped Notre Dame in rankings

The College Football Playoff Committee chairman Hunter Yurachek explained why Alabama moved up one spot in the College Football Playoff rankings and jumped Notre Dame.

The Crimson Tide is now ranked No. 9 ahead of facing Georgia in the SEC Championship. Yurachek and the committee feel Alabama deserves to be here after beating Auburn.

“Alabama and Notre Dame over the past three weeks has been one of the strongest debates we’ve had in the room for the past two years that I’ve been a member of the committee,” Yurachek said. “And I think this week as we looked at those two teams and how closely they have been over the past three weeks, Notre Dame went on the road, had a strong win at Stanford, but Alabama went on the road in a rivalry game, looked really good, especially in the first half, getting up 17 to nothing, ran the ball well. Auburn came back at ’em. They had a great gutsy call on fourth and two late in the third quarter to get it pressed down, and then got the turnover late in that game. And I think that was enough to change the minds of a couple of committee members to push Alabama up ahead of Notre Dame in this week’s rankings.”

Alabama will be back in action Saturday against the Bulldogs.