Greg McElroy predicts 'dangerous precedent' if SMU drops below Alabama in College Football Playoff rankings

Championship Week is here, and College Football Playoff appearances are on the line. The results could have plenty of implications, but ESPN’s Greg McElroy predicted one decision could set a “dangerous precedent.”

Alabama came in as the final team in the projected 12-team bracket following Tuesday’s penultimate rankings reveal. As a result, the question is what would happen if SMU falls to Clemson in the ACC Championship. The Tigers were one of the first teams out of the projected field, but a title game victory could earn them a first-round bye.

It’s worth noting SMU is playing a 13th with the ACC Championship, which is one more than Alabama after missing the SEC title game. If the Mustangs drop below the Crimson Tide, McElroy worried what type of impact that decision would have on future rankings.

“I think the situation that Joe [Fortenbaugh] just described is a bit of a slippery slope because, now, you’re basically de-incentivizing participation in these conference championship games,” McElroy said on SportsCenter of SMU potentially falling out of the bracket. “And while I acknowledge very much what Joe is recognizing, SMU’s resume is eerily similar to Miami’s where their best win right now is against a Duke team that is not currently ranked. Their second-best win is against Louisville – also outside the committee’s Top 25. So while their resumes are eerily similar, I still think that you measure Alabama with 12 data points – 12 games being played – against SMU with 12 games being played, and SMU’s 11-1, Alabama’s 9-3.

“So if the committee punishes SMU for playing that 13th game, I do think that is a dangerous precedent to set knowing the value of conference championship games to the sport, and I just don’t know if the committee’s real comfortable with doing that at the moment.”

SMU rose to No. 8 in the latest rankings after rattling off an undefeated run through ACC play to set up the conference championship matchup with Clemson. If the Tigers were to win the title game, though, they would effectively steal a bid in the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket. The five highest-ranked conference champions appear in the field, meaning Clemson would have a spot.

That then begs the question about what would happen to SMU in such a situation. To Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee, the answer is simple about his team’s chances of staying in the field no matter what happens Saturday night.

“I think if you open up that door, you’re going to see a lot of people do a lot of crazy things,” Lashlee told Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman on Andy & Ari On3. “We’re not going to. We’re going to go play in Charlotte, and we’re going to try to compete for our championship, because that’s the right thing to do. That’s what competitors do.”