Tuesday night's playoff rankings set up for the most possible drama for Sunday

The penultimate College Football Playoff rankings set up for the most drama possible for Sunday when this year's playoff field is officially announced. Alabama jumping Notre Dame not only gives the Tide a great chance of making the playoff, even with a loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and finally gets Miami close enough to the Irish for the head-to-head win in week one to finally matter.

It will be interesting if the committee will finally factor in that win, or if this will be as close as they get to passing Notre Dame, which is currently playing some of the best football in America as of late. This was the first time that the committee did not do their normal protection of Marcus Freeman's team, and we will see if that is a foreshadowing of what might happen Sunday.

We all know the dilemma the ACC might be in if Duke beats Virginia in Charlotte on Saturday night, and it became a bigger issue with all three Group of 5 teams who are being talked about for a possible playoff field in Tulane, North Texas, and James Madison all being ranked in the final Tuesday night poll.

This pretty much sets the scene of the Blue Devils being left out of this year's playoff field, even if they beat Virginia and become the conference champs. It is unlikely that an 8-5 record will get them ranked above the American Champion or James Madison as long as they beat Troy in the Sun Belt Championship Game. Of course, they will never come out and say it, but the decision makers in the ACC have to be the biggest Cavaliers fans of the weekend.

Though it was an expected move Texas Tech reaching the number four spot pretty much guarantees the Red Raiders are in this playoff no matter what happens on Saturday, unless they were to be blown out. For possibly the first time in program history the team from Lubbock has national appeal with the NIL money being spent on making such a talented roster and a team with a good story is exactly what the committee wants to see in the playoff field. After most Tuesday nights rankings being very ho hum the decision makers outdid themselves with the rankings meaning there will be a lot of eyes on ESPN around Noon ET.