College Football Playoff Set: Alabama Out, SMU In

The first ever 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is set, and there was drama on the back end. Would it be SMU fresh off of a dramatic loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game? Or Alabama based on its strength of schedule?

The Alabama brand and three losses - two of which were ugly - didn’t get the nod as the two-loss Mustangs slid in at the No. 11 spot.

As expected, Oregon will get the first seed with SEC champion Georgia, Mountain West champion Boise State and Big 12 champion Arizona State rounding out the top four and earning first-round byes. Clemson played its way into the field by virtue of an automatic bid for the fifth-best conference champion.

What Does The Bracket Look Like?

First Round:

9. Tennessee

8. Ohio State

12. Clemson

5. Texas

10. Indiana

7. Notre Dame

11. SMU

6. Penn State

STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 02: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions argues with officials during the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium on November 02, 2024 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Quarterfinals:

12/5 Winner

4. Arizona State (Big 12 champion)

9/8 Winner

1. Oregon (Big Ten champion)

11/6 Winner

3. Boise State (Mountain West champion)

10/7 Winner

2. Georgia (SEC champion)

Top Takeaways

I’m stunned that they got it right in the debate between Alabama and SMU. The Mustangs ran through the ACC without a loss, got off the deck to erase a 17-point deficit and tie the game with Clemson with under 20 seconds to go and has only one other loss (to a ranked BYU team). Yes, Alabama has the head-to-head win over SEC champion Georgia. But two ugly losses to Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, combined with another at Tennessee, gave Alabama too many warts. If SMU had been left out, they would have essentially played their way into another loss. Coach Rhett Lashlee said that, if they don’t get in, it would give teams no reason to play in conference title games if they’re already in the field.

Texas is in the best spot other than the teams with byes. The Longhorns will host the last team in the field - Clemson - in Round 1, and draw Arizona State in the second round if they’re able to topple the Tigers. I know that the Sun Devils were incredible in the blowout win over Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship Game, but they’re far from a juggernaut. Maybe the committee should take away byes for conference champions and honor the best four teams with the luxury of sitting at home in Week 1? Nah, that would make too much sense. Texas is the beneficiary of that nonsense this year.

Can Quinn Ewers lead Texas to a win over Texas A&M? (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

The 8/9 game is going to be a monster. Tennessee will visit Ohio State in the first round, and it’ll be fascinating to see how the crowd welcomes their own Buckeyes into the CFP after the disastrous loss to Michigan last weekend that knocked them out of the Big Ten Championship Game. Tennessee’s defense has been solid all year, and it has a punishing rushing attack with Dylan Sampson leading the charge. If Ohio State falls in Round 1, could that spell trouble for Day? It might.

Curt Cignetti will get his wish. The first-year coach of the Indiana Hoosiers has a chance to further the reputation of his squad with a first-round matchup with in-state power Notre Dame. Can you imagine what will happen if the upstart Hoosiers slays the giant? It would send shockwaves through the Midwest.