CFP Committee Chair Explains Alabama’s Snub, SMU’s Seeding in 2024 Playoff Bracket

Warde Manuel, chairman of the Faculty Soccer Playoff choice committee, mentioned there was “fairly a debate” between taking SMU or Alabama as the ultimate selection within the 12-team discipline.

“The best way SMU performed in that (ACC title) recreation, shedding on a last-second FG. We felt like on this case SMU had the nod above Alabama, but it surely’s no disrespect to Alabama’s energy of schedule,” Manuel mentioned throughout Sunday’s bracket reveal, per Yahoo Sports activities’ Ross Dellenger.

This was the largest query heading into Sunday.

Alabama was the final at-large group when the committee unveiled the CFP bracket earlier than the convention championships. SMU’s upset by the hands of Clemson within the ACC title recreation upended the established order, nonetheless.

The Mustangs clawed again from a 17-point deficit within the second half and tied it up with 16 seconds left, however Nolan Hauser’s 56-yard discipline aim lifted Clemson to victory.

So the committee was left to choose between 11-2 SMU and 9-3 Alabama.

The Crimson Tide owns wins over Georgia, South Carolina and Missouri however misplaced to a pair of 6-6 foes (Vanderbilt and Oklahoma). The Mustangs ran the desk within the ACC within the common season, and their two defeats have been by six mixed factors to Prime 25 groups.

Manuel emphasised that energy of schedule is an element the committee considers, and it performed a job in serving to separate Alabama from South Carolina and Ole Miss within the at-large battle between SEC groups. Power of schedule solely went to date, although.

Not surprisingly, Manuel’s feedback and the committee’s remaining choice sparked differing reactions on social media:

In fact, the notion that main colleges akin to Alabama ought to schedule simple non-conference video games yearly transferring ahead elides who the Tide performed exterior of the SEC. They hosted Western Kentucky, South Florida and Mercer and hit the street to face off towards Wisconsin at a time when the Badgers are nonetheless in a down section.

The committee was in a troublesome place.

Omitting Alabama was going to be an unpopular name when the Tide have some high quality wins. The choice was successfully punishing what had been a deserving group as a result of it competed over the weekend whereas ‘Bama was at house.

All issues thought-about, any three-loss group can’t have much complaint about lacking out below the present format.