As much as any player can come to unanimous support, Ty Simpson has it from Alabama Crimson Tide fans. Simpson has earned the respect of Alabama fans for becoming one of the nation's top quarterbacks. He is an unquestioned as a team leader. Bucking the 'cut and run' norm of the Transfer Portal era, Simpson waited his turn in Tuscaloosa. That alone has earned him a deep reservoir of admiration.
So when Simpson said on Monday that "rankings don't mean anything", Alabama fans would like to agree with him. But many Crimson Tide fans cannot help but disagree. Simpson is 100% correct that the best mindset for Alabama to take care of business is to give no thought to November CFB Playoff rankings.
CFB Playoff Era and First Rankings
For fans, it is not so simple. In the CFB Playoff Era, a team ranked below No. 4 in the first committee rankings has won the national championship just once. The first 2014 rankings placed Ohio State as the No. 16 team. After beating Alabama in a semi-final game, the Buckeyes won it all.
In the 2015 season, Alabama was ranked No. 4 early and went on to win the National Championship Game. Michigan in 2023 and Georgia in 2022 became National Champions after being ranked No. 3 in the first rankings. The other six national championship winners were ranked either No. 1 or No.2 in the selection committee's first rankings.
While the sample size is small and the 12-team format creates a different dynamic, the history of each season's first weekly rankings indicates where teams are initially ranked means much.
So Ty Simpson is correct that to him and his Crimson Tide teammates the rankings don't mean anything. For the rest of us who passionately follow the Alabama Crimson Tide the rankings are important. Making them even more important this season is straight seeding. First round byes are an advantage. So even if Ohio State and Indiana are the two top-ranked teams in the first rankings, Alabama would be best served by being ranked in the No. 3 to No. 5 range.