College Football Playoff Rankings reaction: SEC love prevails again as Alabama sits ahead of Miami in top 25

The ACC branding issues struck again. And the Southeastern Conference again got the benefit of the doubt.

Same as it ever was, right?

That was the sentiment emanating from ACC Country Tuesday after the College Football Playoff’s penultimate rankings propelled a three-loss Alabama team over a two-loss Miami. If SMU defeats Clemson in Saturday’s ACC Championship, the ACC will have only one team in the 12-team playoff field while the SEC will get four. 

For a conference that looked like it could get three teams in only a week ago, it’s a devastating blow. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said the conference was “shocked and disappointed” Miami fell six spots to No. 12. For the second consecutive year, it looks like an ACC team will miss the cut in favor of an Alabama team that has an additional loss. Last year, a 13-0 Florida State team was left out for a 12-1 SEC champion Alabama team after Jordan Travis’ injury. 

Miami slipping behind Alabama this year is a particularly difficult pill to swallow given the Hurricanes’ easy schedule and star quarterback Cam Ward. All Miami had to do was beat Syracuse to make the field, regardless of what it did against SMU in the ACC Championship. 

The ACC, which has been searching for solutions to fix its perceived brand issues, badly needed the Hurricanes to do so. For a conference that has largely been propped up by Dabo Swinney’s Clemson run in the 2010s, “The U” making the playoff would have been an exposure bonanza for the ACC. It would prove that the conference has taken to promote its brand were working. 

Instead, Miami is out after it blew a 21-0 lead in its 42-38 loss to the Orange. Alabama is the biggest beneficiary of Miami’s late collapse. 

Is Alabama a particularly good team? No, though it’s…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-playoff-rankings-reaction-sec-love-prevails-again-as-alabama-sits-ahead-of-miami-in-top-25/

Author : John Talty

Publish date : 2024-12-04 03:16:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.