Joel Klatt: CFP Committee Made a Mistake Ranking Notre Dame Above Alabama

Yes, FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt ranked Notre Dame above Alabama in his most recent top-15 ranking, but he has a problem with the College Football Playoff committee doing that. 

Following the third unveiling of the CFP rankings this season, Klatt said he had a problem with Alabama dropping to No. 10 and behind ninth-ranked Notre Dame for a pretty clear reason. 

“I don’t agree with the committee. I know most of you will say this, and I’ll say it to myself: I know I put Alabama behind Notre Dame as well, but I’m way more eye test than résumé. In a résumé discussion and in a committee room, the résumé should, at times, carry the day,” Klatt said on his podcast, “The Joel Klatt Show.” “The wins that Alabama has are far superior to the wins Notre Dame has. I look at Notre Dame and think, ‘I don’t want to play that team.’ Meanwhile, I don’t love Alabama’s one-dimensional play, but their résumé is better than Notre Dame.” 

Klatt added that he believes Alabama’s “résumé is much stronger than Notre Dame’s.”

“They’re both 8-2, yes, but the best win being in Athens against Georgia takes the cake — and it should,” Klatt said. “The best win Notre Dame has is against USC. Nothing to scoff at. They’re the 15th-ranked team in the country. But remember, that game happened in South Bend. That was against a USC team that, up to that point, didn’t show it could play very well on the road. They’ve since played better on the road — and we will see them on the road this week against Oregon — but in a résumé comparison, it’s not a comparison and Bama should’ve been No. 9.”

Adding on to Klatt’s point, Alabama is 4-1 against teams that are ranked in the top 25 of this week’s College Football Playoff Poll. Notre Dame, meanwhile, is 1-2 against those same top 25 teams this season. 

However, Notre Dame’s losses are arguably better than Alabama’s. The Fighting Irish lost back-to-back games to open the season, falling to Miami (Fla.) and Texas A&M each by one score. As for Alabama, it was blown out by a Florida State team in Week 1 that’s now 5-5. Alabama also fell to Oklahoma at home this past weekend, 23-21, in a loss that Klatt thinks proved to the CFP committee how limited the Crimson Tide might be as a title contender. 

“Remember, they’re going more eye test,” Klatt said. “I told you that I think, and this is speculation, that the coaches in the room are really carrying the day and they would likely value a running game over a one-dimensional team that throws the football. Stylistically, I think they look at Notre Dame and they value them more than they value Alabama.”

Alabama’s passing attack has been one of the best in the nation this year, with Ty Simpson ranking 13th in passing yards and tied for ninth in passing touchdowns. But Alabama’s 108.7 rushing yards per game is the seventh-worst mark among power conference teams. 

As for Notre Dame, it’s 30th in passing yards and 26th in rushing yards per game this season. Running back Jeremiyah Love has started to mount a late push for the Heisman, rushing for the fourth-most yards (1,135) in the nation this year. 

While Notre Dame being ranked over Alabama might not be a big deal right now, it could be when it’s time to determine the field in a couple of weeks. One of the teams Notre Dame lost to, Miami, is 8-2 and will likely be favored to win each of its last two games. But the Hurricanes were also ranked below Notre Dame at No. 13, with Alabama, BYU and Utah ranked between them. 

So, having Miami ranked four spots behind Notre Dame is obviously big for the Fighting Irish. But Klatt pondered a scenario that could put the committee in a bind and Notre Dame in a tough spot. 

“As long as Alabama is between [Miami] and Notre Dame, then Miami will never get compared to Notre Dame because there’s this buffer right there. That’s why it’s so important for Notre Dame that Alabama stays behind them,” Klatt said. “If Alabama were to beat Auburn, would that be enough to jump them up there? If Alabama were to go to the SEC Championship Game and have a 13th data point, would that be enough to jump them over Notre Dame? If BYU runs the table and loses a close game to Texas Tech and they’re an 11-2 non-champ, is that enough to jump into a spot ahead of Notre Dame and put Notre Dame on the bubble? 

“These are the things that Miami has to have to win an argument for an at-large sport against really the only team they would win an at-large spot against.”

Of course, Miami could also make the CFP via an automatic bid if it wins the ACC. But the Hurricanes are looking at four teams ahead of them in the ACC standings, making their path to the ACC Championship Game a bit difficult. 

So, the possibility of Miami and Notre Dame finishing at 10-2 seems to be in play. And if both teams are ranked back-to-back for the final at-large spot in the 12-team field, Klatt believes one team should have a clear advantage over the other. 

“In that event, I would be arguing for Miami,” Klatt said. 

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