The Crimson Tide are back in a familiar place: number one.
The college football playoff selection committee released their updated rankings Tuesday night, and Nick Saban's Alabama squad jumped all the way from No. 5 to the top of the list. The Crimson Tide had just completed a 25-20 defeat of the then-No. 1 Mississippi State Bulldogs in a game that was far more lopsided than the final score would indicate.
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Coming in behind Alabama at numbers two through four were the Oregon Ducks, Florida State Seminoles, and Mississippi State. TCU and Ohio State linger just outside the playoff berths.
FSU is the only undefeated team remaining from the power conferences, but the selection committee has penalized it slightly for a perceived soft schedule and lack of urgency in games versus lower competition.
"It's been an exciting year so far and we're not done with the excitement yet. The discussions the 12 members have each week is detailed and thorough," selection committee chairman Jeff Long said in a release. "Even though we don't yet know who the conference champions are - and that is a factor we will weigh in December - this committee has been clear that quality of wins and strength of schedule are important factors."
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Alabama's first order of business after the new No. 1 ranking will be taking care of West Carolina at home. The Tide then finish the regular season with the annual Iron Bowl match-up versus in-state rival Auburn.
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