Alabama football fans want an answer to one Playoff question. They want it before Dec. 8, when the final CFB Playoff rankings are released. The question is, how much wins over ranked teams matter in the Selection Committee's ranking decisions? Based on the initial Playoff rankings, wins over ranked teams appear to matter little.
The current top five teams in the Playoff rankings are Oregon, Ohio State, Georgia, Miami, and Texas. Combined, the top five have three wins over Playoff-ranked teams. Oregon has wins over No. 2 Ohio State and No. 9 BYU. Ohio State has a win over No. 6 Penn State.
Compare the top five's three wins over ranked teams to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama Football has four wins over Playoff-ranked teams: No. 3 Georgia; No. 15 LSU, and No. 24 Missouri. Chris Fallica of Fox Sports does a similar comparison using the latest AP Poll rankings, "Three of the current Top 5 in the AP Poll - Texas, Penn State and Indiana - do not have a win over team currently ranked. No. 9 Alabama has more (4) than the current Top 5 has combined (3)."
Alabama football fans are looking for a clear indication the Crimson Tide's wins over ranked teams, plus its Strength of Schedule (SOS), currently calculated as the 11th toughest, will be given a fair rating by the Selection Committee.
Many Crimson Tide fans understand no future response from the Selection Committee will ever fully answer the question. Selection Committee members must consider many factors. Some of the 'other' factors don't enhance Alabama's Playoff rankings. The loss to Vanderbilt was a bad one that the committee cannot ignore unless the Commodores can pull off another upset in their closing games. It is also possible a Vandy upset in Baton Rouge could harm Alabama's Playoff resume.
The precise concern for Alabama football fans
Alabama's chances of making the Playoff field are promising. But Alabama football fans are concerned the Tide's seeding could be negatively impacted if teams with weaker schedules, but prettier records are seeded higher than the Crimson Tide.