Greg Byrne fires back at 'chatter,' makes College Football Playoff case for Alabama

Campaigning for a spot in the College Football Playoff has begun with the 2024 regular season over. Alabama is one of a few times fighting for the potential final at-large bid on Selection Sunday. Some other dominos need to fall but the Crimson Tide appears to be in the thick of it.

Alabama AD Greg Byrne made his case for Kalen DeBoer‘s squad getting into the 12-team field. A huge point for him is strength of schedule, citing how difficult the SEC can be on a week-to-week basis. While other teams might have fewer losses, Byrne argues the overall schedule is not as difficult.

“Here’s a good look at the numbers/rankings for @AlabamaFTBL,” Byrne said via X. “Recognize there’s lots of chatter out there about 2 vs. 3 loss teams, however that is just one factor. When you look at the @CFBPlayoff Principles for its Selection Committee, the first bullet point on the list of considerations is strength of schedule.

“Not all schedules and conferences are created equal. We’ve worked diligently to add more challenging non-conference home-and-homes, which is good for college football, not to mention the week-in and week-out of the SEC and it being the toughest in the country.”

Here's a good look at the numbers/rankings for @AlabamaFTBL. Recognize there’s lots of chatter out there about 2 vs. 3 loss teams, however that is just one factor. When you look at the @CFBPlayoff Principles for its Selection Committee, the first bullet point on the list of… pic.twitter.com/EGrp7pVbaA

— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) December 3, 2024

As the graphic tweeted out by Byrne shows, the ESPN SOS metric places Alabama at No. 17 overall. Of the teams thought to be competing for CFP spots, only Georgia and South Carolina are higher.

The Sagarin Ratings actually give the Crimson Tide a little more credit, coming in at No. 14. Most of that comes from playing in the SEC, where all three of the losses come from. But the nonconference did include the away leg of a home-and-home vs. Wisconsin. Even USF gave Alabama a tough run, for the second straight season, back in September.

Since the “chatter” mentioned is around a two-loss team, the safe assumption might be Byrne is talking about Miami. For comparison, the Hurricanes have a strength of schedule ranking of 55th on ESPN and 61st per Sagrain.

Folks from South Carolina and Ole Miss are going to explain why they deserve to be included in the final 12-team field as well. Championship results pending, we might get an idea of who would get into the CFP based on Tuesday’s rankings.

Just over 24 hours before then, Byrne wanted to make his case for Alabama. He certainly believes the Crimson Tide should be playing for a national championship.