Alabama AD Greg Byrne Questions Scheduling After CFP Snub
In a decision that has sent shockwaves through the college football world, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne is rethinking the Crimson Tide’s nonconference scheduling strategy after the team was left out of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP). Alabama, a perennial powerhouse, found itself edged out by SMU for the final at-large spot, sparking debates across the sport about strength of schedule, conference championships, and the CFP selection process.
Byrne took to social media to express his disappointment, acknowledging that Alabama’s losses to .500 teams Vanderbilt and Oklahoma were pivotal in the committee’s decision. “Two games in particular that we did not perform as well as we should have,” Byrne admitted in a post on X. However, he also pointed to the need for a broader evaluation of how nonconference scheduling impacts CFP selection.
“We have said that we would need to see how strength of schedule would be evaluated by the CFP,” Byrne wrote. “With this outcome, we will need to assess how many P4 nonconference games make sense in the future to put us in the best position to participate in the CFP. That is not good for college football.”
Alabama’s Scheduling Dilemma
This season, Alabama played just one Power 4 nonconference game, a dominant 42-10 win at Wisconsin. However, the Tide’s 2024 schedule already includes two Power 4 nonconference matchups: a season opener at Florida State on August 30 and a home game against Wisconsin on September 13. Byrne’s comments suggest that even this level of scheduling might be reconsidered in light of the CFP’s evaluation criteria.
“Strength of schedule matters,” Byrne posted on X late Saturday night, just hours before the CFP field was announced. “Not all schedules and conferences are created equal. Six of our eight wins are against bowl-eligible teams and have come against some of the top teams in the SEC, including SEC champion Georgia.”
SMU Edges Out Alabama
SMU (11-2) secured the final at-large spot in the CFP, leaving Alabama (9-3) on the outside looking in. The Crimson Tide will now face Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida, on December 31. SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee didn’t shy away from addressing the controversy, stating, “Brands like Alabama, brands like Clemson — the bluebloods of our sport — they’ve earned that right. But that doesn’t mean they should get the nod in situations like this. I was really proud and thankful that didn’t play into the final decision.”
Statistically, Alabama appeared to have the edge over SMU in several key areas:
- Strength of Record: Alabama ranked No. 9, while SMU was No. 15.
- ESPN’s FPI: Alabama ranked fourth, compared to SMU’s No. 13.
- Top 25 Wins: Alabama had three, while SMU had none.
Despite these metrics, CFP selection committee chair Warde Manuel defended the decision, saying, “We value strength of schedule. That’s why Alabama is a three-loss team ranked ahead of other teams that have two losses.”
Social Media Reactions and Criticism
Not everyone was convinced by the committee’s reasoning. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, whose team finished 9-3 and ranked No. 14, took to X to voice his disbelief. “Is this fake news??? he didn’t actually really say that … @AlabamaFTBL @SMUFB,” Kiffin posted, tagging both Alabama and SMU’s football accounts.
The seeding process also came under fire. Under the current format, the top four conference champions receive automatic first-round byes, regardless of their CFP ranking. This led to a situation where Texas, ranked No. 3 in the final CFP rankings, was seeded fifth as the first at-large team, behind conference champions Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, and Arizona State. Boise State and Arizona State, ranked No. 9 and No. 12 respectively, benefited from this rule despite being ranked lower than Texas.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian weighed in on the issue, drawing a comparison to NCAA basketball. “If you win your conference tournament, you get an automatic bid into the tournament. But then there’s seeding. There’s 1-seeds, there’s 2-seeds — so on and so forth — and nowhere in there does it say if you win your conference championship, you get an automatic 1-seed,” Sarkisian told ESPN. “If we went just off of ranking, we’d be the third seed in this tournament as opposed to the fifth seed.”
Conference Commissioners Weigh In
The debate over seeding and strength of schedule extended to conference commissioners. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark argued that no Group of 5 team should receive a bye over a Power 4 champion, citing strength of schedule. Meanwhile, Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez defended Boise State’s inclusion, stating, “Participation in the College Football Playoff isn’t about entitlement. It should not be contingent upon a conference patch or the logo on the helmet. … Boise State’s body of work this season, including an 11-game win streak, has earned it one of the top four seeds ahead of the Big 12 champion.”
As the dust settles, one thing is clear: the first 12-team CFP has sparked a firestorm of debate that will likely shape the future of college football for years to come.
Originally Written by: Chris Low
