In a twist, Alabama has been left out of the 2024 College Football Playoff, and Nick Saban has some thoughts on that.
The former Alabama head coach-turned-analyst spoke on ESPN on Saturday, minutes after it was announced that SMU would take the final CFP spot over the Crimson Tide. While speaking about the CFP committee’s decision, Saban opined about whether Alabama’s omission sets a precedent for future teams in terms of scheduling.
Saban said he agreed with the bracket overall.
Alabama finished the season 9-3, missing out on the SEC title game after in-conference losses to Tennessee who made the CFP as the No. 9 seed and unranked opponents Oklahoma and Vanderbilt.
CFP committee chair Warde Manuel spoke on ESPN after the selection show, stressing that the committee took strength of schedule into account.
“We value strength of schedule, which is why Alabama with three losses is ranked ahead of the other two-loss teams,” Manuel said.
The Crimson Tide finished at No. 11 in the CFP rankings, but did not make the final 12-team bracket due to Clemson (ranked No. 16 by the CFP) taking a bid by winning the ACC. SMU’s 11-2 finish came after the Mustangs lost to Clemson on a last-second field goal; the team’s other loss was to BYU, which is currently ranked No. 18.
By all accounts, SMU’s non-conference opponents this season Nevada, Houston Baptist, BYU and TCU could be considered more difficult than Alabama’s. The Crimson Tide played Western Kentucky, South Florida, Wisconsin and Mercer, earning easy wins in all four games.
Regardless, there seems to be a general consensus among non-Alabama fans that the committee made the right decision. Even SMU’s opponents are happy for the Mustangs: ESPN’s Molly McGrath reported that Clemson players and coaches cheered extra loudly for the Mustangs’ selection during their CFP watch party.