When the College Football Playoff committee announced Alabama had secured the final postseason spot, Tide fans understood why. They saw the reason behind keeping them in. They saw the resume and the success the Tide had this season, despite the beatdown in Atlanta. Like the playoff committee, fans of the Tide judged them by their overall performance once the season had concluded. They were the most deserving of the three at large teams.
While one fan base was jumping for joy, another fan base turned to a full-scale toddler-like meltdown. Screaming and crying at the top of their lungs about SEC bias, ESPN bias, and all the message board conspiracy theories. "Alabama got in cause they are Alabama." Oh, how quickly people forget the "Alabama bias" last year when the committee put in SMU over Alabama, a team everyone knew was going to get stomped by any team they played. I'll put the truth out there for everyone: Alabama earned its way in. Notre Dame did not. This outrage from South Bend says more about their expectations than reality.
The College Football Playoff committee proved SOS matters
The CFP selection committee announced this year that the strength of schedule and record strength carry greater weight in their rankings this year than in the playoff selections of the past. Alabama's road to the playoff included multiple wins over ranked SEC opponents, including playing four ranked opponents in a row and an away rivalry win in the Iron Bowl.
According to ESPN, Alabama is 6th in the nation when it comes to strength of schedule. Notre Dame, meanwhile, gets to schedule whoever they would like to play, with no conference games or restrictions. Notre Dame lost to the two best teams they played all year at the beginning of the season, then ran the table. Notre Dame was 44th in the country in terms of strength of schedule. Want not to get bumped for Alabama or Miami? Join a conference and play tougher competition. Fighting Irish fans cannot claim that Alabama bias and the brand were the only reasons they got in over Notre Dame and were bumped, then turn around and talk about the tradition of being independent and looking down at all the other conferences.
You can play by your own rules and play your own schedule, but that eliminates the right to complain about the playoff committee's rules and expectations that everyone else is following. Play tougher competition, then the committee won't be able to deny your entry.
Conference Championships Still Matter.
Even in an era of expanded playoffs, new evaluation models, the committee has never wavered on one truth: conference championships matter. Alabama did not just navigate the SEC; they earned the right to play in the title game. They were the home team on the neutral site. They were first on the SEC rankings before the game. They earned the right to play in a high-pressure environment that was basically a pre-test to the postseason.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, wrapped up their schedule early, like it always does, sitting idle while contenders are competing for conference championships. Independence is a proud part of Notre Dame's identity, but it comes with a cost. You do not get that final test/evaluation before the playoff against another powerhouse. So, when Alabama gets destroyed by Georgia and splits the series 1-1 with the #3 team in the country, the Fighting Irish don't get to move up from nothing. The committee made the right choice and kept Alabama at #9 in the playoff rankings for playing that extra game.
The Committee Didn't show SEC Bias, but Notre Dame Showed Entitlement.
The loudest argument coming from South Bend was "SEC bias." Anyone paying attention to this year's metrics knows the committee wasn't rewarding conference logos. They were rewarding resume strength, quality wins, and competitive difficulty. Alabama checked all of those boxes. Notre Dame did not.
Yeah, Alabama lost to Florida State in embarrassing fashion, but quality losses are not in the metrics this year for the committee. The two best teams that Notre Dame faced all season they lost to: Texas A&M and Miami. Their schedule lacked ranked opponents, and their top wins did not match up with Alabama's. Deserving a playoff spot for whooping up on Syracuse, Purdue, and Navy is entitlement. Alabama played in the toughest league in college football, with the best athletes in college football, and stacked meaningful wins.
The committee rewarded the team that took the harder path, not the team that simply expected credit from last year's laurels and because of its name. That is entitlement. Alabama was left out for SMU last year, and they never took their proverbial ball and went home crying? Opting out of a bowl game because the playoffs were missed? That's entitlement.
At the end of the day, Alabama earned its playoff position the hard way. They went through a brutal schedule, a conference championship battle, and stacked great performances against quality opponents throughout the season. Notre Dame did not. They lost to the two best teams they faced, on their schedule, they got created for being independent, then sat idle on championship week, cruising off of facing cupcake opponents, hoping to see others fail.
It's not the committee being biased; it is the committee holding them accountable. The Tide got credit for what they earned. Notre Dame was held accountable. Notre Dame and the complaining they are doing need to stop. Time to sit in timeout, calm down, and stop carrying on. Sometimes it stings to be held accountable. Have to swallow the pride, take the consequences, and try again next season.
...Maybe update your schedule before next season though.