SMU HC Rhett Lashlee thankful CFP committee didn't take brand name into consideration

The SMU Mustangs almost had an "almost perfect" season on their hands after going 11-1 in head coach Rhett Lashlee's third regular season with the program. 

The Mustangs' only loss came at the hands of BYU in September, but then they went on to rattle off nine wins in a row, which included wins over No. 22 Louisville and No. 18 Pitt.

That was enough to get SMU in the ACC Championship game against Clemson. Going into that contest, Lashlee's team had a razor-thin margin in regard to the College Football Playoff. Winning the ACC would give the Mustangs an automatic in as well as a bye. Losing to Clemson, though, as they did, would put the Mustangs firmly on the bubble.

After SMU's 34-31 loss to Clemson, it essentially came down to SMU and Alabama for the final spot in the 12-team playoffs. Alabama was 9-3 but it was coming off a win in the Iron Bowl over Auburn. The Tide also boasted wins over No. 2 Georgia, No. 21 Missouri and No. 15 LSU. They also had "the brand" that Nick Saban built on their side.

If it came down to Alabama's brand versus SMU's brand, the Tide would have gotten the spot hands down. That's not how it ended up happening, though, and for that, Lashlee was thankful.

“I mean, you know, we had a chance to slam the door and not only leave no doubt, but get a bye. We didn’t do that. So yeah, I mean — look, like I said, brands like Alabama, brands like Clemson with what Dabo [Swinney] has done there. The blue bloods of our sport, as people like to call it. They’ve earned that right. Now, that doesn’t mean they should get the nod in situations like this. I mean, the committee — I credit them for doing what was right, and what, as we saw, most of the country felt was right," Lashlee said in a recent media availability (h/t On3). 

“That’s not a slight to Alabama. But it’s tough, because — I mean, we’re all human. You go, ‘Man, look at the laundry list of things this program has done,’ and here we are, the new guys. So, I was really proud and thankful that that didn’t play into the final decision. It was, you know, who you beat, who you lost to, who you scheduled, your whole body of work, your good days, your bad days, qualifying for a championship, the way your team competes. All those things went into the final decision, and I’m really thankful for that.”

No. 11 SMU now has a chance to further prove itself against No. 6 Penn State in the first round of the College Football Playoff. If the Mustangs can beat the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley, up next would be No. 3 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.