Mack Rhoades reveals why Alabama was ahead of Ole Miss, BYU in first College Football Playoff rankings

Since dropping its first game of the year, Alabama has looked the part of a College Football Playoff team. The Crimson Tide since rattled off seven wins in a row, including four straight over ranked SEC opponents.

That stretch, according to CFP selection committee chair Mack Rhoades, was a separator for Alabama in the initial Top 25 rankings released Tuesday. That helped put the Tide over the top and into the top four seeds.

Alabama had a stretch of four straight wins that started with a road win at then-No. 5 Georgia and included another at then-No. 14 Missouri. Those road victories important points of conversation, and though Rhoades said the season-opening loss to Florida State came up, the committee decided Alabama had the resume to warrant its No. 4 ranking.

“I’m not sure, when you look at resume, anybody had a better stretch of four games,” Rhoades told reporters on a teleconference following Tuesday’s reveal show. “When you think about Alabama, really, really impressive, two of those wins on the road. Going into Athens, one of the hardest, toughest environments to be able to get out of there with a win.

“There was certainly discussion about the Florida State loss early on, but just felt like that four-game stretch – which by the way, historical in the SEC. Nobody has beaten four straight ranked teams without a bye. Then they also finish that out with a good win against South Carolina. That was the discussion. I think they’re getting elite quarterback play right now from [Ty] Simpson, so a really, really good football team.”

Simpson has been the straw that stirs the drink for Alabama and remains at the forefront of the Heisman Trophy conversation. He is completing 67.8% of his passes for 2,184 yards and 20 touchdowns, to just one interception, through eight games. He has added two rushing touchdowns, as well.

Based on its ranking in Tuesday’s first reveal, Alabama would be the No. 4 seed in the projected 12-team College Football Playoff bracket. Under the new seeding formula, the Crimson Tide would have a bye through the first round and would start play at a bowl site.

Alabama will have more opportunities to bolster its resume with the final bye week in the past. The Crimson Tide have a marquee matchup against LSU awaiting on Saturday night before heading to Oklahoma in Week 12 – a game that could have some implications for the Sooners, who came in at No. 12 in the initial CFP Top 25.