Ad Disclosure
SMU coach Rhett Lashlee foreshadows unintended consequences if Mustangs miss CFP
By Crissy Froyd
Published:
SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee is well-aware of the potential consequences of the ACC Championship Game and what the outcome could mean for the Mustangs in the College Football Playoff.
Lashlee recently spoke with On3, implying that if SMU is to lose, it could seriously hurt the team’s ability to make it into the College Football Playoff. With the new format and the way the rankings have played out with the committee to this point, it is reasonable to believe that a lot of teams may not even want to make it into their respective conference championship games in the future.
How the committee chooses to handle the rankings this year after the results of these games come out could cause quite a ruckus across the college football landscape.
“If our team all got COVID today and didn’t play, we’re in,” Lashlee said. “At that point, we can’t drop below anyone who is behind us. I think that if you open up that door, you’re gonna see a lot of people do a lot of crazy things.”
https://twitter.com/On3sports/status/1864366552088219734
Maintaining integrity and tradition is important to Lashlee and SMU, regardless of the negative impact they could potentially face on Sunday. The head coach ultimately hopes the committee will do “the right thing” regardless of whether or not the Mustangs beat Clemson.
“We are going to go play in Charlotte and compete for a championship because that is the right thing to do. That’s what competitors do,” Lashlee continued. “We value the opportunity to share the field with someone like Clemson, a fantastic team and try to do something special. So, like I said, I’m going to choose to believe that on Sunday, the right thing will be done as well.”
SMU and Clemson are set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET Saturday night inside of Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
Crissy covers SEC football news for Saturday Down South.
