The Alabama Crimson Tide retained their No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings despite struggling a bit with The Citadel over the weekend, edging out No. 2 Clemson.

Most think that Alabama deserves the No. 1 spot, but there is a growing contingent of analysts that think Clemson should be on top.

On a teleconference following the release of Tuesday’s rankings, CFP chair Rob Mullens explained how close Clemson is to surpassing the Crimson Tide:

Q: You said at the opening that you considered whether to flip Alabama and Clemson. I was wondering if you could just elaborate on that discussion, what factors were discussed, and is it closer in your eyes now than it has been the last few weeks?
ROB MULLENS: Similar to the discussion we’ve had the last few weeks. I don’t think much has changed. I think it’s been pretty consistent. We see two well-balanced teams, efficient on offense, strong on defense, that perform week in and week out. So I think it’s been very consistent how the committee has viewed it, but we do have a responsibility to make sure we take a deep dive each week, and we’ve done that.

These two teams are looking like the top squads in the country, so we’ll see if they meet in the Playoff for the fourth year in a row (third time with a title on the line).

Whatever happens, no one wants to face either team right now.