We can talk strength of schedule all day but at the end of the day Bama has nobody but themselves for the playoff snub. At no point should a team like the Crimson Tide be waiting on how the ACC Championship Game ends to determine if they will be in or out of the playoff. People will compare schedules all day, but the losses to both Vanderbilt and Oklahoma can't be forgotten. Compared to SMU, yes Kalen Deboer's team had better wins, the Mustangs had better losses and never got destroyed in Norman.
As we all know going into the Oklahoma game Alabama had full control of their destiny. Had they won out we know they would have gotten to Atlanta, and based on how this committee treated championship game losers even if we had lost to Texas we'd be in today. Now I know many are saying why even play tough out of conference games after seeing teams with far easier schedules on paper finding themselves in the playoff field. Let us not forget whether you agree or not teams like Arizona State and Boise State won when it mattered. They got better in the month of November and won their conference championship games.
Many will compare Bama directly with SMU and the reality of it is the committee made the right choice based on the circumstances. Had the Ponies got destroyed by Clemson, then maybe the committee would have put the Crimson Tide in. But as we know they fought back and should have taken the game into overtime. Their close loss to Clemson sadly was still better than anything Alabama did after the LSU game. Hopefully this will be a lesson for this coaching staff and players to win the games they should and not leave it up to chance.