I'm pretty sure they've directly said as much, due to Bryant's injury
Yes. But how much forgiveness should they get because their so-so QB went out with an injury?
I don't agree with the principle of taking injuries into account in the first place. But, even granting the principle, Clemson's QB wasn't exactly a Mayfield, Darnold, or Rosen.
Clemson is getting the benefit of the doubt because they were last year's champs.
Similarly, Alabama has been pretty much ranked #1 (in the polls) all year and is now ranked #1 by the Committee because of past successes, without actually beating anyone very good THIS YEAR. Bama's biggest win is the comeback over Mississippi State in its most recent game. It was not
nothing, and it
was on the road, but it wasn't as good a win as Miami's over Notre Dame.
The Committee consistently violates the very rationales that it offers in explanation of its rankings.
I'd rank the top 4 this way:
1. Miami
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Clemson