Rece Davis Predicts Alabama's Playoff Chances if SMU Loses on Saturday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Dec 5, 2024 11:55 AM ET

There’s a lot to unpack heading into Friday and Saturday’s conference championship games, and the matchup with the biggest College Football Playoff implications may be the last one to kick off: the No. 17 Clemson Tigers vs. the No. 8 SMU Mustangs.

This week, the College Football Playoff committee revealed a significant flaw possibility stemming from the ACC Championship.

If SMU loses the ACC Championship game to Clemson, they could fall behind No. 11 Alabama in the rankings, potentially costing the Mustangs a spot in the playoff. Which has. certainly been quite controversial considering they are playing an extra game and Alabama isn't.

However, if SMU wins the game, all of that drama is avoided, and both the Mustangs and Alabama would likely secure playoff spots.

But "College GameDay" host Rece Davis sees it differently. He believes Clemson will upset SMU on Saturday, creating a difficult decision for the committee between SMU and Alabama. Despite the loss, Davis thinks the committee will still favor SMU over Alabama and won’t punish them for losing a championship game.

"I will SMU hangs in and gets in the playoffs. I will say as a result of that that the 11 seed and the 12 seed in the playoff will be the two ACC teams. It will probably be Clemson, then SMU will be the 12." Davis said.

If Davis' prediction comes to fruition, Alabama would likely be the odd team out. However, Clemson's victory would create significant drama, as it would allow the No. 17 Tigers to secure an automatic bid and steal a playoff spot, alongside the winner of the Big 12 Championship.

These questionable kind of scenarios were inevitable in the first year of the 12-team playoff format's inception. While there will undoubtedly be growing pains as the system evolves, it has already led to one of the most thrilling and unpredictable college football seasons in recent memory—and the postseason hasn’t even started yet.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: