The College Football playoff expansion from a four- to a 12-team field didn’t eliminate controversy in the selection of teams that will play for a national championship. Southern Methodist University earned the final entry into the inaugural expanded playoffs, earning the nod over traditional power Alabama, which played a stronger schedule but lost three games.

Naturally, the SMU Mustangs were delighted by the outcome. “I’m really, really happy and thankful to the committee for rewarding our guys for their total body of work and their consistency of performance and how they played throughout the year,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said on ESPN.  “We’re thankful for the opportunity to keep playing.”

The selection committee’s biggest dilemma was choosing between SMU and Alabama. The SMU Mustangs, ranked No. 8 going into the weekend, lost the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game to Clemson, 34-31, on a 56-yard field goal with no time left.

SMU dropped to 11-2 with the loss, putting them in danger of not making the playoffs, while Clemson (10-3) claimed the automatic berth. That put Alabama back in consideration despite a 9-3 record, including an ugly late-season loss to three-touchdown underdog Oklahoma (6-6).

The looming question was whether SMU would be penalized for playing an extra conference championship game, while Alabama was idle.  The Crimson Tide played a much tougher schedule in the Southeastern Conference, earning three wins over Top 25 teams, including a victory over Georgia. SMU did not have a victory over a Top 25 team.

“Strength of schedule matters,” Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne posted on X Saturday night. “Not all schedules and conferences are created equal.”

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney offered his opinion following Saturday’s game, saying of the Mustangs, “That’s a playoff football team. SMU better be in the dang playoffs.”

The committee essentially agreed, giving SMU the 11^th seed.

“We value strength of schedule. It’s something we talk about quite a bit,” said the chairman of the Selection Committee, Warde Manuel, on ESPN. “But the way SMU played in that game (against Clemons), losing on a last-second field goal, we just felt in this case SMU still had the nod at 10 above Alabama. But it’s no disrespect to Alabama’s strength of schedule. It’s just looking at the body of work by both teams.”

The first-round byes were as expected. The No.1 seed went to top-ranked Oregon, which finished 13-0 and won the Big 10 Championship in its first season in the league. Georgia (11-2) earned the No. 2 seed by capturing the SEC Championship Game over Texas (11-2). Boise State (12-1) won the Mountain West and earned the No. 3 seed, while Arizona State (11-2) earned the Big 12 championship and claimed the fourth seed.

The first-round matchups have eighth-seeded Ohio State (10-2) hosting No. 9 seed Tennessee (10-2) with the winner playing Oregon in the Rose Bowl.  Fifth-seeded Texas entertains ACC Champion Clemson (10-3), the No. 12 seed, with the winner playing Arizona State in the Peach Bowl.

Seventh-seed Notre Dame (11-1) takes on 10^th-seeded Indiana (11-1), with the winner taking on Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, and sixth-seeded Penn State (11-2) plays 11^th-seeded SMU at Happy Valley. The victor advances to play Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.

The first-round games are set for December 20 and 21, while the quarterfinal bowl games are on New Year’s weekend. The national championship game is on January 20, 2025, at Mercedes Benz Stadium at Atlanta.

Boise State coach Spencer Danielson is happy his school, often overlooked under the four-team format, is representing the Mountain West Conference for the first time in the playoffs. “With the expanded playoffs it’s an amazing opportunity for every college football team because all you want as a competitor is a shot,” he said, adding. “I’m excited for these guys to get to work because they’ve earned this opportunity.