USC played more ranked teams so they had a harder schedule (IMO). Bama lost to much worse teams which should be a knock on them. USC did lose the head to head matchups which is a knock on them. Ole Miss had a crap schedule so they are over inflated (but that is subjective). USC had a much better recent win streak than Bama (6 games vs 1). The win streak argument is one I have seen used to promote Bama over Miami. It's just all over the place. I do agree with Stech that it needs some transparency and consistency. Otherwise we get this shadow committee that just picks who they like and then molds the data to fit their picks. It's more corrupt than it has ever been and I can honestly say I hate the sport now (even though I still watch VT football).