It's officially Selection Sunday in College Football and we'll have the 12 team field finalized for the first time in this new expanded College Football Playoff format. When the College Football Playoff committee makes their final decision however, one of two fanbases will be the most outraged. Even if your team isn't directly affected, the future of the Playoff may be shaped on Sunday.
The only real heated debate on Selection Sunday is whether Alabama or SMU will get the final At-Large bid. Heading into the Weekend, Alabama held the final at large bid but, with SMU losing to Clemson, they're now in the mix for the final at large bid.
The debate for SMU will be that they shouldn't be penalized for qualifying for a game that Alabama couldn't get into. Rhett Lashlee said it best this week that if his entire team simply got Covid, they'd be in the Playoff. Can the College Football Playoff committee truly knock SMU out of the College Football Playoff because they lost on a walkoff 56-yard field goal?
If the College Football Playoff committee drops SMU out of the College Football Playoff field, they're setting the precedent that there is only a risk in playing in your Conference Title Game as the higher seed.
The debate for Alabama will be that while they have one extra loss, their resume as a whole is far better than SMU's. SMU's best win is either Duke or Louisville, Alabama has a win over Georgia the SEC Championship. The Tide have the 17th ranked strength of schedule while SMU's ranks 75th. Alabama's opponents went 92-52, the Mustangs opponents went 83-75. The Crimson Tide finish the season with three ranked wins while SMU finishes without a ranked win.
If you select SMU over Alabama, you're siding with the team that skated by against a weaker schedule in a weaker conference. The goal of the College Football Playoff is to get the 12 best teams in not the 12 best stories. If these teams faced each other a neutral field, everyone would expect that Alabama would win so why should SMU be in the field.
It'll be fascinating to see how the College Football Playoff Committee handles this debate and whether they spurn the SEC or they reward a team for playing an extra game.