The persistent ranking of traditional "blue blood" programs like Alabama and Notre Dame above teams like BYU and Utah, even when the latter hold comparable or superior records, is rooted in the subjective nature of the College Football Playoff selection process. This disparity stems primarily from three factors: historical prestige, perceived strength of schedule (SOS), and the subjective "eye test."

Alabama and Notre Dame benefit significantly from historical brand equity and poll inertia. The CFP committee and voters often give these established programs a higher "ranking floor," meaning their initial high placement allows them to absorb a loss without plummeting. This bias is reinforced by the assumption that teams consistently recruiting at an elite level (like Alabama in the SEC) are inherently "better" than their peers, regardless of weekly performance. While BYU and Utah, both members of the Big 12, have built strong modern resumes, they lack the multi-decade national cachet that insulates the traditional powers from scrutiny.

Furthermore, the committee tends to favor perceived schedule quality over resume metrics like Strength of Record (SOR). Although BYU’s or Utah's schedule may be statistically challenging, the committee often views the SEC (Alabama’s conference) as the definitive league for weekly strength, creating a qualitative advantage for the Crimson Tide. Notre Dame, as an independent, mitigates this by aggressively scheduling elite opponents. Finally, the highly subjective "eye test" frequently penalizes teams like BYU for close wins, even if those victories come against quality opponents (like Utah), while granting more grace to top-tier brands for similar non-dominant performances. This collection of subjective factors ensures the ranking hierarchy often favors reputation over on-field results.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

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