College Football Playoff committee chair Hunter Yurachek said Tennessee and Alabama are still in different pods, minimizing the impact of the Vols’ head-to-head win over the Crimson Tide.

When Knox News asked Yurachek to clarify the separation between those pods, he said in the conference call with reporters: “It goes a lot deeper, and I could get into the weeds for several hours on this.”

Alabama (7-2, 5-2 SEC) was ranked No. 3 in the updated CFP poll, released on Nov. 10. And Tennessee (7-2, 4-2) was ranked No. 8.

Notably, Tennessee beat Alabama 26-10 at Neyland Stadium on Oct. 17. But Yurachek said the teams' resumes aren't close enough for that to be the deciding factor in the CFP committee’s view.

“The definitive difference between the two teams right now – Alabama and Tennessee – and why they’re not being compared side-by-side even though Tennessee has that win over Alabama is that Alabama has got four really good wins in the view of the committee – at LSU, at Kentucky, versus South Carolina and at Mississippi State when that team was undefeated,” Yurachek said.

He said the bottom of Alabama’s schedule is also stronger, helping the Crimson Tide tout the No. 1 strength of schedule. Tennessee’s schedule is ranked No. 23.

Why CFP committee credits Alabama with big win over Mississippi State

Alabama’s 56-23 win over Mississippi State continues to bolster the Tide’s resume from the committee’s perspective.

The game was played on Oct. 3, a week after Mississippi State star quarterback Kamario Taylor injured his foot. However, he played against Alabama and then was later ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Mississippi State now has a 4-5 record after losing five straight. But Yurachek said the committee still recognizes Alabama’s victory over the Bulldogs as a top 25 win.

“Kamario played in that game, and Alabama dominated that game,” Yurachek said.

Could Tennessee catch Alabama if it runs the table?

Tennessee and Alabama could both make the 12-team playoff. If they run the table, that will certainly happen.

But UT fans are frustrated that the Vols’ lopsided win over their rival isn’t enough to earn a comparable CFP ranking.

Perhaps Tennessee could close the gap and eventually enter Alabama’s pod, where their head-to-head result presumably would have a greater impact.

Tennessee plays at Texas A&M (4-5, 1-5) on Nov. 14 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN). After that, the Vols will play LSU on Nov. 21 (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) and at Vanderbilt on Nov. 28.

LSU is ranked No. 21 in the CFP, so it might offer UT a shot at another quality win.

Tennessee likely needs to win its three remaining games to make the playoff with a 10-2 record, but it could have a narrow path at 9-3.

Alabama has an easier road to finish the regular season. It plays at Vanderbilt (Nov. 14), against Chattanooga (Nov. 21) and against Auburn (Nov. 28).

“When you compare those teams, you feel like Tennessee has got two really good wins (over) Alabama and Kentucky. You have to search a little deeper to find their next best win,” Yurachek said. “We feel like Alabama right now has four really good wins. So that’s been the separator and kept them from having that side-by-side right now in our rankings.”

College Football Playoff

First round(Dec. 18-19)

  • No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Notre Dame
  • No. 9 Indiana at No. 8 Tennessee
  • No. 10 BYU at No. 7 Miami
  • No. 11 Kentucky at No. 6 Texas

Quarterfinals (Dec. 30, Jan. 1)

  • No. 4 UCLA vs. Notre Dame/Boise State winner
  • No. 1 Georgia vs. Tennessee/Indiana winner
  • No. 2 Utah vs. Miami/BYU winner
  • No. 3 Alabama vs. Texas/Kentucky winner

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why are Tennessee and Alabama in different playoff pods? CFP chair explains

Source: Yahoo Sports