The initial College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday, and a popular topic is always how was strength of schedule factored into the committee's rationale.

It seems Alabama was the biggest beneficiary of a strong schedule despite its 6-2 record. ESPN's FPI — which is admittedly SEC-heavy — ranks the Crimson Tide's SOS as the third-toughest in the country. That metric was one CFP committee chairman Hunter Yurachek pointed to when asked why Alabama was ranked No. 5 in Tuesday's CFP reveal.

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"It really came down to the quality of teams that Alabama has played and the quality of their wins," Yurachek said. "They've got a win on the road against the team we had ranked sixth. They've got a win versus South Carolina, a team we have ranked 21st. They have a win at Mississippi State when Mississippi State was at 4-0 at full strength with that dynamic quarterback that Mississippi State had earlier in the year, and Alabama has had seven of their eight games against teams that have a .500 record or better, and I think that's what's separated them from an undefeated UCLA or a one-loss team in BYU."

Notre Dame's strength of the schedule — or lack thereof (55th) — is likely a contributing factor to the Irish landing at No. 11, despite just one loss (to No. 9 BYU).

The key to being undefeated? Play a soft schedule. The nation's three remaining unbeaten teams Miami (49th), UCLA (77th) and Utah (83rd) have had cakewalks so far, though it seemed only UCLA was penalized for it (No. 8 in CFP).

Of the teams inside the top-12 of the CFP, Texas has the hardest remaining schedule (9th), while Indiana (47th) has the easiest road.

Here's a look at the strength of schedule rankings for Top 25 teams, remaining strength of schedule and overall hardest schedule this season so far.

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CFP rankings Top 25 strength of schedule

  1. Miami — 49th
  2. Georgia — 35th
  3. Utah — 83rd
  4. Indiana — 31st
  5. Alabama — 3rd
  6. Kentucky — 8th
  7. Texas — 9th
  8. UCLA — 77th
  9. BYU — 45th
  10. Ole Miss — 4th
  11. Notre Dame — 55th
  12. Ohio State — 10th
  13. Tennessee — 25th
  14. LSU — 23rd
  15. Texas Tech — 68th
  16. Wake Forest — 43rd
  17. Houston — 28th
  18. Missouri — 29th
  19. Iowa — 36th
  20. USC — 27th
  21. South Carolina —15th
  22. Arizona — 52nd
  23. Oregon — 21st
  24. Florida — 3rd
  25. Boise State — 79th

CFP rankings Top 25 teams remaining strength of schedule

  1. Miami — 32nd
  2. Georgia — 18th
  3. Utah — 34th
  4. Indiana — 47th
  5. Alabama — 43rd
  6. Kentucky — 12th
  7. Texas — 9th
  8. UCLA — 41st
  9. BYU — 35th
  10. Ole Miss — 30th
  11. Notre Dame — 37th
  12. Ohio State — 24th
  13. Tennessee — 16th
  14. LSU — 3rd
  15. Texas Tech — 45th
  16. Wake Forest — 62nd
  17. Houston — 64th
  18. Missouri — 2nd
  19. Iowa — 39th
  20. USC — 14th
  21. South Carolina —25th
  22. Arizona — 50th
  23. Oregon — 26th
  24. Florida — 43rd
  25. Boise State — 92nd

Strength of schedule heading into Week 10

  1. Mississippi State
  2. Auburn
  3. Florida
  4. Ole Miss
  5. Oklahoma
  6. Stanford
  7. Alabama
  8. Kentucky
  9. Texas
  10. Ohio State
  11. Arkansas
  12. Florida State
  13. North Carolina
  14. Wisconsin
  15. South Carolina
  16. Texas A&M
  17. Purdue
  18. Michigan State
  19. Vanderbilt
  20. Colorado
  21. Oregon
  22. Clemson
  23. LSU
  24. Iowa State
  25. Tennessee

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Does strength of schedule matter? Who was helped and hurt in first CFP rankings?

Source: Yahoo Sports