CFP reaction: Alabama feels the love, Indiana takes over and the Big 12 is relieved as the committee confuses us

The second week of the College Football Playoff rankings have been released, and controversy once again reigns around the CFP committee thanks to Big Ten and SEC placement.

What was going to happen to teams like Ole Miss and Kentucky, who both suffered tough losses last weekend against Georgia and Tennessee respectively?

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Now, with former No. 1 Miami suffering its first loss of the season and falling to No. 7 in the latest poll, Georgia was the obvious choice to take the top spot this week, although Utah also could have made a strong case after beating a Top-10 BYU team at home.

But as the regular season draws to a close over the next three weeks, there are plenty of valid concerns coming from conferences like the Big Ten and Big 12.

The SEC takes up a considerable number of spots in the latest CFP rankings

LSU head coach Lane Kiffin reacts during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Mississippi State in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthieu Hinton)

And then we have the SEC, which currently has five teams ranked in the top 12, led by No. 1 Georgia, No. 3 Alabama, No. 6 Texas, No. 8 Tennessee and No. 11 Kentucky.

If the Wildcats were to suffer another loss this season, the arguments would be about the margin of defeat, and that’s just a hubbub. I don’t know if Kentucky could win against other conference teams.

As for the Tennessee vs. Alabama argument, I think we can put an end to that for now. The CFP committee won’t rank the Vols before the Tide, based on how many quality wins Alabama has compared to Tennessee.

And yes, the Vols beat Alabama by sixteen points last month.

“Alabama was in that first pool, Tennessee wasn’t in that first pool… If you look at their schedule compared to Alabama’s, the committee feels like Alabama has a stronger schedule,” noted CFP’s Hunter Yurachek.

What’s going on with a team like No. 19 Ole Miss that has wins against two top 25 opponents?

They are essentially eliminated from the playoffs unless a miracle happens. Lopsided losses to Georgia and Florida, along with the close loss to Texas, have them needing help from others with a trip to Oklahoma this weekend, followed by games against Wofford and Mississippi State.

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What about No. 21 LSU? After last weekend’s loss to Alabama, Lane Kiffin’s team is barely clinging to its CFP hopes. If the Tigers win (Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas), that would mean two wins against what should be Top 10 teams to conclude the season.

Would the Tigers deserve a place against a team with two defeats? The new ranking on Tuesday evening is deserved. Of course, if they were to win, which would include wins against two Top 10 teams, maybe the conversation would change last week.

Well, the Big Ten has a numbers problem right now…

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti stands on the sideline as his team plays Nebraska during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, in Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)

The biggest questions now turn to how many teams the Big Ten can make the playoffs over the next three weeks, with No. 20 Ohio State essentially eliminated after its loss to current No. 16 Oregon. And what would happen this weekend if No. 18 USC strolled into Bloomington and beat No. 9 Indiana?

There’s also No. 4 UCLA, which remains undefeated but has a weak schedule that could hurt its playoff chances if it loses to Illinois on Friday night. UCLA also has a showdown against USC about to close out the regular season.

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On top of that, the committee felt strong enough about Alabama’s SOS to put it ahead of an undefeated Big Ten team, even with two losses this season.

Adding to this conundrum, Indiana fell from 4th to 9th in this week’s CFP rankings, and the Hoosiers were on a bye week. For what? The teams that Indiana had already beaten this season and that helped its case suffered losses last weekend.

“Indiana was probably the victim of a poorly timed bye week…Every team they had played in the Big Ten lost,” CFP’s Yurachek noted of Indiana dropping a bye week.

In reality, that’s probably where the Hoosiers deserved to be ranked last week, but the committee must have needed a little anticipation for this reveal that still doesn’t make much sense.

If the CFP members thought Indiana was the 9th best team in the country this week, then they should have put them there in their first rankings.

Once again, questions that we still have difficulty grasping.

The Big 12 is completely crazy and could still land two CFP offers

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake talks with defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Central Florida, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Orlando, Florida. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Two weeks ago, most would have thought No. 10 BYU would find itself in the playoffs after its win over now No. 5 Notre Dame.

NOW? After a very bad loss to UCF on the road, followed by the loss to No. 2 Utah last weekend, it’s the Cougars who are hanging on for dear life to qualify for the CFP. There was a good chance that if BYU hadn’t lost that game to UCF, they could have found themselves playing for a conference title and quite possibly made the playoffs.

Not anymore. It’s No. 12 Texas Tech who now finds himself in a great position moving forward, with wins against Arizona and Houston to bolster his resume, even with the loss to Cincinnati.

If the Red Raiders were to play in the Big 12 title game against Utah, they could potentially earn a spot in the CFP.

Unfortunately for the Big 12, which is hoping to field at least two teams, No. 12 Texas Tech still has to face Oklahoma State and Baylor to close out the regular season. If they lose one of these games, the chances of representing the Big 12 are over, outside of the team that could potentially eliminate Utah in the conference title game.

But Houston’s arrival at No. 14 could create an avenue that would allow the Big 12 to enter at least two teams. However, they will need help.

Three weeks ago, there was a scenario in which the Big 12 potentially saw three of its teams make the playoffs.

Now this could turn into a one-bid league if Utah takes care of its business and the Big 12 continues to devour itself.

The Top 25 teams are on the outside, but still have a chance.

There you have it, the latest College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night.

• 1. Georgia
• 2. Utah
• 3.Alabama
• 4.UCLA
• 5. Notre Dame
• 6.Texas
• 7.Miami
• 8.Tennessee
• 9. Indiana
• 10. BYU
• 11.Kentucky
• 12. Texas Technology
• 13. Wake Up Forest
• 14. Houston
• 15. Iowa
• 16. Oregon
• 17. South Carolina
• 18.USC
• 19. Ole Miss
• 20. Ohio State
• 21. LSU
• 22.Missouri
• 23.Arizona
• 24. Boise State
• 25. Oklahoma State

First round, on campus, clashes if they were to take place today.

No. 12 Boise State vs. No. 5 Notre Dame

No. 11 Kentucky vs. No. 6 Texas

No. 10 BYU vs. No. 7 Miami

No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Tennessee

Quack-quack, quack-quack.

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Oregon head coach Dan Lanning stands on the field during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Southern California, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Oregon Ducks find themselves in the conversation after beating Ohio State last weekend in Columbus. Dan Lanning really needs USC to keep winning, considering they won the game earlier this season in Los Angeles.

But the Ducks could also thrive if the Trojans suffer a loss to UCLA at the end of this November run, which could open up an additional spot for them in the Big Ten.

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With South Carolina and USC moving up in the rankings, the next three weeks just got a lot more interesting for these two teams. The Gamecocks still host No. 1 Georgia, while USC will face No. 9 Indiana and No. 4 UCLA.

So we obviously have a crazy few weeks ahead of us, and the committee is clearly not worried about shaking things up every Tuesday night throughout the month of November.

Buckle up…this is going to get interesting.