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Heather Dinich questions if Alabama should be ranked over Texas A&M in College Football Playoff rankings

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh6 hours agogriffin_mcveigh
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer (David Leong / Imagn Images)

With the first College Football Playoff rankings being released on Tuesday, there are a ton of questions for the committee. Mainly at the top, with plenty wondering how things will shake out in the top five. It’s easy to assume both Alabama and Texas A&M will make their way in there.

Going based on the record, Texas A&M figures to be ahead of Alabama. But ESPN’s Heather Dinich questioned whether or not the CFP committee would make that call. She pointed to the numbers actually favoring the Crimson Tide when facing stiffer competition to this point in the season.

“If you’re going to lose, it’s better to do it early than late,” Dinich said Tuesday on SportsCenter. “The question is, can the committee members forgive them enough to rank them ahead of undefeated Texas A&M? So, that’s definitely a question. But when you look at Alabama, they’ve, statistically, played a little bit better than Texas A&M against better competition. So, the question is, does their resume and their statistics outweigh that undefeated schedule and No. 1 Strength of Record, even?”

Per ESPN’s Strength of Schedule metric, Alabama sits at No. 4, while Texas A&M is No. 15. Eight different teams from the SEC are between them. As Dinich pointed out, the feather in Texas A&M’s cap might be the No. 1 Strength of Record. And, well, being 8-0 heading into the second weekend of November.

All will be unveiled in a short period of time. The rankings get shown on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET, hosted by Rece Davis. Other personalities will join the desk to give everyone out there the first look at what the College Football Playoff top will look like.

Alabama, Texas A&M currently on course to play in SEC Championship game

If the season were to end today, Alabama and Texas A&M would be the two teams heading to Atlanta for the SEC Championship. Both are undefeated in conference play with a 5-0 record. Three more remain before ultimately deciding who gets the opportunity to earn the SEC’s automatic bid to the CFP.

No regular season matchup will take place between the duo. After years of facing off in the SEC West, expansion means divisions are now a thing of the past.

For Alabama, getting to the SEC title game would be a first under Kalen DeBoer but nothing new for the program. Texas A&M, on the other hand, would be making some history with its first appearance since joining the SEC back in 2012.