Faculty Soccer Playoff Rankings 2024: Official Committee Ballot for Last Week

It has arrived.

After a complete season of twists, turns, upsets and debates, the inaugural 12-team Faculty Soccer Playoff bracket was revealed Sunday. To the shock of no person, the undefeated Oregon Geese are the first-ever No. 1 seed within the 12-team period.

However the majority of the main focus was on which workforce would occupy the ultimate at-large spot between Alabama and SMU. Finally, the choice committee went with the Mustangs.

Here’s a take a look at the place they and everybody else ended up within the bracket, which might look totally different than the rankings because the five-highest ranked convention champions get an auto bid and the four-highest-ranked convention champions get a first-round bye.

First-Spherical Byes

First-Spherical Matchups 

Full High 25 Rankings

There have been a handful of questions heading into Sunday’s bracket reveal, however one among them stood out above the remaining.

Sure, it was unclear whether or not Boise State or Arizona State could be the No. 3 seed among the many 4 highest-ranked convention champions that obtained a first-round bye. Sure, instances could possibly be made for Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Tennessee when it got here to rating groups within the Nos. 5 by 9 spots.

All of these debates have been vital, as seeding and home-field benefit and the paths every create will play a significant component wherein groups advance to the quarterfinals and semifinals.

Nonetheless, the largest argument was for the final spot between SMU and Alabama.

The Mustangs managed their very own future for a spot within the area and a first-round bye going into Saturday’s ACC Championship Recreation. Nevertheless, they misplaced in beautiful trend as time expired when Clemson’s Nolan Hauser drilled a 56-yard area aim to ship Clemson to the CFP because the convention champion.

It appeared just like the Tigers have been going to cruise after they jumped out to a 24-7 halftime lead and 31-14 benefit heading into the fourth quarter. But two landing passes from Kevin Jennings and a area aim by Collin Rogers tied the sport earlier than a protracted kick return from Adam Randall helped the Tigers get into field-goal vary within the ultimate seconds.

Clemson was one thing of a bid-stealer because it wasn’t going to be within the CFP with out successful the convention, which left the talk for the final at-large spot between Alabama and SMU.

Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney left little doubt the place he stood after the sport:

On the one hand, placing Alabama in would imply punishing SMU for shedding on the final second in a convention championship recreation when the Crimson Tide have been sitting at dwelling with three losses.

A kind of losses was a very ugly 24-3 blowout to a 6-6 Oklahoma workforce that hasn’t defeated one other FBS workforce since September.

However, Alabama is ninth in power of report and sixteenth in power of schedule in comparison with SMU at fifteenth in power of report and sixtieth in power of schedule, per ESPN’s metrics.

The Crimson Tide’s victories over Georgia and South Carolina have been much better than any of the Mustangs’ wins, with the most effective one possible coming at Louisville on Oct. 5.

In easiest phrases, this was a debate between a workforce with extra losses—together with an unsightly one—and a more durable power of schedule in opposition to a workforce that performed an additional recreation with fewer losses and fewer high quality wins.

The committee went with the Mustangs, however someone was going to be sad no matter the way it unfolded.