The 12-team field is officially set for the college football playoff. After Championship Saturday Georgia beat Texas in the SEC championship in an overtime thriller where Carson Beck . Oregon beat Penn State to win but ten in their first year in the conference. Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo had over 200 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns as Arizona State rolled over Iowa State 45-19 to win the Big 12 and clinch their spot. Ashton Jeanty University aka. Boise State beat UNLV 21-7 with Jeanty rushing for 209 yards and a TD to make his final Heisman case. The question coming into the day after SMUs lost to Clemson in the ACC championship on the 56-yard walk off field goal for their second loss of the year. SMU was ranked 8th coming into the weekend but the debate was if Alabama’s quality wins and or SMU making it to the championship game and losing. Alabama has an ugly loss to Oklahoma 24-3 just 2 weeks ago but wins against three current top 25 teams including SEC champ Georgia might play a factor in the process. Strength of schedule has always played a factor in the CFP selection but even though SMU played an extra game and was ranked three spots higher than Alabama, should SMU be punished for playing an extra game and barely losing? SMU has only lost 2 games by a total of 6 points both losses came to current top 20 teams, BYU and Clemson.  

Time to get into the bracket 

12 seed 16 Clemson                                    4 seed 12 Arizona State 

5 seed 3 Texas 

9 seed 7 Tennessee                                      1 seed 1 Oregon 

8 seed 6 Ohio State 

11 seed 10 SMU                                             3 seed 9 Boise State 

6 seed 4 Penn State 

10 seed 8 Indiana                                           2 seed 2 Georgia 

7 seed 5 Notre Dame 

The First and Second Teams out were 11 Alabama and 13 Miami 

The big question coming out of this and Nick Saban said it best if Strength of Schedule isn’t going to matter why schedule those teams? Although the quality of losses definitely mattered, the way Alabama lost to Oklahoma was their undoing. Why should SMU be punished for playing an extra game and coming into that game being ranked three spots ahead of Alabama? If they put Alabama in the playoff would have been ignoring being a top ten team and losing a conference championship so why play it? By putting SMU in it changed the way people will look at strength of schedule so why schedule the good teams or play in a good conference when playing those good teams won’t matter? The committee certainly valued both about the same and there was no winning for them with either decision that they made.