Alabama Football: The top eight CFB teams after week six

The first CFB Selection Committee rankings come out Oct. 30. The Bama Hammer staff publishes an internal ranking of the top eight teams every Monday, as Alabama football matches toward a fifth Playoff appearance.

Bama Hammer has another way for Alabama football fans to track the progress of the Crimson Tide to the CFB Playoff final four.

Our purpose is to follow the guidelines of the CFB Selection Committee and select the best teams. Each weekly Bama Hammer ranking is based on season-to-date performance. Our rankings are not predictive of how teams will finish the season. The rankings will adjust each week to incorporate the most recent game results.

Our process is simple. Our staff of six individually ranks the teams from No. 1 to No. 8. The individual selections are tabulated for a group total by giving each No. 1 ranking eight points and working down to the No. 8 team receiving one point. Therefore, the maximum points any team can receive is 48.

As Alabama football fans, we admit our rankings are subjective, just as are the AP, Coaches and Playoff Committee rankings. That does not deter us from attempting to identify the top eight teams.

Bama Hammer Top Eight – Week No. 6 (Oct. 8)

1. Alabama – 48 points
2. Georgia – 41 points
3. Ohio State – 35 points
4. Clemson – 30 points
5. Notre Dame – 26 points
6. West Virginia – 15 points
7. Washington – 11 points
8. Penn State – 5 points

Other teams receiving votes were Texas and Florida.

Check out short summaries by the Bama Hammer staff on the top eight teams.

 Bama Hammer Contributor, Bryant Barger

Alabama continues to roll on. I must admit, the defense did look un-Saban like, but does it really matter whenever you are scoring 50+ points every game? Notre Dame has made their way into the Top 5, and rightfully so with big wins over Michigan, Stanford, and Virginia Tech. Washington and Penn State, in my opinion, are still way overrated.

Bama Hammer Contributor, Jonathan Waldrop

The Alabama football defense is not as bad as it looks as Chad Morris’ Razorback offense is beginning to execute the maddening Chad Morris offense, but the Tide D still looked rough. Luckily, every pass Tua throws is better than the one before and the Tide is all but unstoppable offensively. Clemson looked like the kind of team they’re capable of being with a healthy Trevor Lawrence and two great running backs. Notre Dame is, dare I say, good? Watch out for the Mountaineers.

Bama Hammer Contributor, Kevin Mudd

Alabama football is on top, but with the loss of Diggs the defense could cost the Tide in the stretch. Especially against teams with strong receiving cores. Biggest question for the top eight is will Clemson’s lack of schedule cost them in the end game.

Bama Hammer, Lead Writer, Ronald Evans

After the big shakeup dropping Oklahoma and LSU, the Crimson Tide and Georgia appear to be stronger than the other members of our top eight. It is too early to count out Ohio State and Clemson. There also appears to be a large gap between the top four and the second four in our top eight. Crimson Tide defensive inconsistency is troubling.

The Bama Hammer staff will publish a new top eight ranking every week. Check in with us each Monday.