The latest College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday, and those in and around the SEC are still fuming about one team’s standing in particular.

The SEC had nine teams in the Top 25 and five in the Top 12, but based on the CFP rules, No. 12 Georgia — which is 7-2 and has played arguably the toughest schedule in the country — would be left out of the playoff as currently constructed. SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum said Saturday such a scenario is unacceptable.

“It’s hard for me to believe that 12 or 13 well-meaning people could sit in a room and come up with this absolute joke of a ranking,” Finebaum said on SEC Nation. “And is it all about Georgia? Yeah, it’s all about Georgia. How can you watch Georgia play, understand their schedule and kick them out at least for this week.

“I realize they can get back. I think this committee, though, in the end may have done Kirby Smart a favor because … when I saw him yesterday, he was feistier than UGA,. And I think it’s all because of the disrespect for his program and the fact that he’s got no credit — none — for playing Clemson, which was a top 10 team, for playing Kentucky on the road and obviously Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss, no credit whatsoever.”

While Texas is No. 3, Tennessee No. 7, Alabama No. 10, Ole Miss No. 11 and Georgia No. 12, the Big Ten has four of the Top 5 teams in the latest rankings. Oregon is No. 1 and fellow unbeaten Indiana is No. 5, but 1-loss teams Ohio State and Penn State are 2 and 4.

Fellow SEC Nation analyst Jordan Rodgers noted that the CFP committee appears to be paying more attention to who teams lost to than who they’ve beaten.

“I don’t think any of the SEC teams, or a lot of teams in general, are getting credit for the teams that they’ve won against it,” Rodgers said. “Everybody’s getting really valued for the teams that you lost (to) and how you lost. Penn State and Ohio State lost by a touchdown. It doesn’t matter, that they didn’t score an offensive touchdown. It’s who you lost to and how you lost, more so than the teams that you played — the good teams — and beat.”

Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at Florida, noted that the way the committee is ranking teams might provide a disincentive for playing tough non-conference schedules in the future.

“What you’re saying is we’re just looking at the loss column and we’re not really valuing a strength of schedule,” Tebow said. “We’re not valuing an amazing regular season because this is good for college football. If they continue to vote this way, why would you schedule big games? Why would you schedule Clemson? You just wouldn’t.”

As for Alabama, the Crimson Tide is still in good position if it wins its final three games — Mercer at home on Saturday, at Oklahoma and Auburn in the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa. Alabama will be heavily favored in all three and is “just fine” in terms of making the playoff, former Crimson Tide safety Roman Harper said.

“You just win and you’re in,” Harper said. “That’s what I would tell these Georgia fans as well. You control your own destiny. … The two losses (Georgia) had, they were favored in those games too, so you’ve got to win your games. They do matter.

“It also tells us that they are propping up the Big Ten. The Big Ten feels very safe right now. And SEC teams, you better start rooting for the right teams to win out because if you don’t, these teams will squeeze you out. Tennessee is a team that has to win out. Georgia is a team that has to win out. Because if you don’t and one of these other (SEC) teams slips up in between, the committee is saying (Big Ten) are not going to behind them, that the SEC will get squeezed out even though they probably are the most-deserving.”