The idea of having an easier strength of schedule is already starting.
Alabama football had one of the toughest schedules in the collegiate game, yet it was left out the 12-team College Football Playoff.
The Crimson Tide had victories over Georgia, South Carolina, and Missouri — all of which were ranked in the CFP Top 25.
Alabama suffered a loss to Tennessee who is in the top 25, but two defeats to a pair of 6-6 schools (Vanderbilt, Oklahoma) ultimately kept the Tide from making the playoff. Southern Methodist University (SMU) got into the field, regardless of losing the ACC Championship Game and not playing a team ranked in the top 25. Greg Byrne, the director of athletics for Alabama, said the Tide will ‘assess’ how many power four non-conference games make sense in the future for Alabama to put on its schedule to position it better for the playoff. The Tide could be crafting easier schedules moving forward after what happened this season.
Disappointed with the outcome and felt we were one of the 12 best teams in the country. We had an extremely challenging schedule and recognize there were two games in particular that we did not perform as well as we should have.
We have said that we would need to see how…
— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) December 8, 2024
Alabama now faces Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl in a rematch of the CFP Semifinal Rose Bowl Game last year.
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
