College Football Playoff: SMU learns its ranking after shakeup with Miami loss
The SMU Mustangs learned their latest College Football Playoff ranking Tuesday night when the committee revealed the updated standings after a wild Week 12.
SMU now sits at No. 14, dropping back a spot after its bye week, just ahead of Texas A&M. If the season ended now, the Mustangs would be the second team out. Boise State is No. 13, dropping a spot.
The rankings above SMU include Georgia at No. 12, Ole Miss at No. 11, Alabama at No. 10, Miami at No. 9, Notre Dame at No. 8, Tennessee at No. 7, BYU at No. 6, Indiana at No. 5, Penn State at No. 4, Texas at No. 3, Ohio State at No. 2, and Oregon at No. 1.
The conference champions with first round byes would be Miami, BYU, Ohio State and Oregon.
Last week, the Mustangs were off, but there were big shakeups with Miami falling at Georgia Tech, Georgia losing at Ole Miss, and LSU losing to Alabama at home.
SMU sits atop the standings for the ACC and appears headed to face Miami on Dec. 7 in the ACC Championship. The Mustangs beat Louisville earlier this year and the Cardinals moved up three spots to No. 19 in the latest rankings.
Regardless of SMU’s College Football Playoff ranking, SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee took up for not only SMU’s resume, but the ACC’s standing as a league. Of the Top 16 in the initial CFP rankings, only two teams have four wins over bowl eligible Power Four teams — SMU and Alabama.
“I think we have a good resume,” Lashlee said on Tuesday. “I think we’ve proven that we belong in the conversation. I’m not gonna worry as much about us and that right now. We got to take care of business. If we don’t win, nothing matters. We got three games right now. If we don’t win the next three games, then we don’t really have an argument. But if we do, then I think we’ve earned the right to have an argument.”
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“We know we got a lot at stake right now,” SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings added. “So I mean, we’re just coming in each and every day, preparing the same, working as hard as we can, extra preparation and just things like that. Just try to get better and try to add these last three games to the list.”
At his weekly press conference, Lashlee shared that the ACC should get more credit than it does. The Mustangs sit at 8-1 overall and 5-0 in ACC play.
“When other leagues beat each other up internally, they’re considered a deep, solid league,” Lashlee said. “When we beat up internally, we’re considered a weak league, you know. When Kentucky goes and beats Ole Miss, when Arkansas goes and beats Tennessee, when South Carolina goes and beats A&M, when Vandy beats Alabama, that’s considered a deep league.
“When Georgia Tech beats Miami, right? When Louisville goes on the road and beats Clemson, when UVA goes on the road and beats Pitt, we’re not considered a deep league? I think we’re a pretty deep league.”
Up next for the Mustangs is Boston College at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN on Saturday. It’s yet another opportunity to impress the College Football Playoff committee.
