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Kirk Herbstreit took on the No. 1 controversy head on during Sunday’s Selection Show on ESPN: SMU vs. Alabama.
Would the Crimson Tide still get in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff despite their 3 losses, or would the Mustangs steal that last spot after Saturday night’s heartbreaking loss in the ACC title game? We got our answer … it’ll be SMU heading to the Playoff while Alabama is on the outside looking in.
“The committee was in a tough spot. I think it had everything to do with what happened late in the year to Alabama,” explained Herbstreit. “I think we all look at Alabama’s resume, we applaud the effort and what they did against Top 25 teams. But I think the loss to Vanderbilt and, of course, the loss to Oklahoma had to do them in. Because if you put the resume side-by-side with SMU and Alabama … it gives (the Tide) an advantage. But they lost that game and the way they lost that game had to matter.”
Herbstreit also believes SMU probably gained an advantage with the committee going into Sunday despite losing the ACC title game because the Mustangs fought back from a 31-14 deficit in the 4th quarter.
“SMU was a team that was ahead of Alabama by 3 spots going into this bonus round where Alabama didn’t have to play that extra data point, and they lose on a last-second field goal after really doing a good job of fighting to get back in that game. The committee recognizes that and honors that,” said Herbstreit.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
