ACC commissioner Jim Phillips calls for SMU to be in College Football Playoff 'Period' Regardless of conference title result | Sporting News

The College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night have ignited controversy, particularly over the CFP committees decision to rank 9-3 Alabama at No.

11 ahead of 10-2 Miami at No.

12.

The move has drawn sharp criticism from ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, who expressed his dissatisfaction with the rankings in a statement sent to Yahoo Sports Dan Wolken .

Miami has more wins and fewer losses than the team directly ahead of them and a dominant victory over an SEC team whose late-season surge includes a win over No.

13 Ole Miss, Phillips said, referencing Miamis early-season win over Florida.

Moreover, a team with 2 losses by a combined 9 points to a ranked Syracuse team and a Georgia Tech team that just took No.

5 Georgia to 8 overtimes Miami absolutely deserves better from the committee.

The rankings position Alabama to claim one of the final at-large playoff spots, depending on the results of this weekends conference championship games.

This includes the ACC Championship matchup between SMU and Clemson, a game with significant implications for both the playoff and the ACC's standing.

When asked Tuesday night if SMU could be removed from the playoff field with a loss to Clemson, CFP committee chair Warde Manuel responded, "Potentially, yes." This response has raised alarms for Phillips and the ACC, who are already grappling with the perception of bias against their conference.

Last year, an undefeated Florida State team was excluded from the four-team playoff in favor of a one-loss Alabama team, despite FSUs perfect season being derailed only by a season-ending injury to quarterback Jordan Travis.

Speaking on ACC PM Thursday, Phillips made his stance on SMU clear.

Listen to me.

Unequivocally, SMU should be in the field.

Period, Phillips said.

They're 11-1.

They're 8-0 in the league.

The only Power 4 teams that went unblemished in conference play was Oregon and SMU.

"SMU should be in the field.

Period." ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips states why @SMUFB should be in the CFB Playoff.

pic.twitter.com/ayAn1fUQko Critics of SMUs playoff case point to the Mustangs lack of wins over ranked opponents.

However, SMU defeated a No.

18 Pitt, No.

22 Louisville, and a 9-3 Duke team that narrowly missed the top 25 in recent weeks.

These victories bolster their claim as a deserving playoff team, particularly when compared to Alabama, whose three losses include a blowout defeat to Oklahoma.

The outcome of the SEC Championship Game could also complicate matters.

If Texas loses to Georgia, the Longhorns would finish 11-2 without a win over a top-25 team.

Should Georgia lose, the Bulldogs would fall to 10-3.

As the final rankings approach on Dec.

8, questions remain about how the CFP committee will handle these scenarios.

For Phillips, ensuring SMUs inclusion is not just about this year but about addressing a pattern of perceived disregard for the ACCs accomplishments..

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