Alabama Football: The Top Eight CFB teams after week eight
By Ronald Evans
The first CFB Selection Committee rankings come out Oct. 30. The Bama Hammer staff publishes an internal ranking of the top eight teams every week, 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. 8 (Oct. 21)
- Alabama Crimson Tide – 48 points
- Clemson – 41 points
- Notre Dame – 36 points
- LSU – 31 points
- Michigan – 22 points
- Texas – 17 points
- Georgia – 12 points
- Oklahoma – 6 points
Other teams receiving votes were UCF and Ohio State.
Some national experts now believe there is a big gap below Alabama football and Clemson. Trending up is talk of a Tide vs. Tigers national championship game. There is a lot of football left to be played but many Alabama football fans are thinking the big gap exists below the Crimson Tide. LSU will have an opportunity to disprove that premise on Nov. 3.
Bama Hammer Staff Observations
Contributor, Chris Dodson: The SEC is clearly the best conference in the nation. Notre Dame is above Clemson simply based on who’ve they have played and the eye test. LSU has found an identity and will be a big test for Alabama in two weeks. Texas deserves to be in the conversation. Georgia’s door to the playoff is still open.
Contributor, Kevin Mudd: Alabama vs. LSU will determine the true dominance of the Tide. If Alabama is able to run away from the Tigers as they have during the first half of the season will anyone be able to slow them down? For the rest of the pack, it will be interesting to see how the playoff committee views one-loss teams.
Contributor, Ronald Moody: Ohio State losing to an unranked Purdue makes you appreciate Alabama even more. The Crimson Tide has won 80 straight against unranked opponents. Alabama football faces its first real test in two weeks against a highly ranked LSU squad. Clemson has an easy run to the playoffs and will not stumble. The team to watch is Michigan. They are playing great and face a decent Penn State team next week.
Contributor, Jonathan Waldrop: By virtue of a bye week and an Ohio State drubbing to Purdue, the Dawgs make it back into my Top 8. I figure until UCF loses, they deserve some attention. LSU, which has shades of the 2011 team, continues to field an unreal defense to go with a punishing ground game. Michigan impressed with a slobberknocker of a victory in East Lansing. And Alabama and Clemson prove they are light years ahead of any other team right now with resounding victories over Tennessee and NC State, respectively.
Contributor, Bryant Barger: Alabama continues to dominate on both sides of the ball. The defense’s previous struggles are starting to disappear. They are still by no means Saban-like, but they are starting to play to higher expectations. Purdue’s upset against Ohio State allows the poll to shift upwards. Clemson’s impressive win over undefeated NC State allows them to secure the No. 2 spot. LSU, Michigan, and Texas are still on the rise.
Lead Writer, Ronald Evans: I was hard pressed to go past six teams in my picks. I do not believe Alabama football is invincible. I do believe the Tide will not lose without it contributing significantly to a loss. LSU is better than I expected, Georgia has upside left in it and I think by January, Clemson will be very good. I just don’t see much to fear in the other teams.
Our next Top Eight ranking will be on Oct. 28. Starting on Oct. 31, we will review the CFB Selection committee rankings each week.