Column: The CFP committee could not care less about what South Carolina did this season

Surprise, surprise. The College Football Playoff committee has done it again.

They put in an 11-1 Alabama team that didn’t make its conference championship game over Big Ten champion Ohio State in 2017. Just last year, they put in a 12-1 SEC champion Alabama over an undefeated ACC champion Florida State all because the Seminoles lost their starting quarterback due to injury. And as if two times weren’t enough, the committee went with ole reliable this week.

On Tuesday night, Alabama jumped up two spots to No. 11 in the penultimate CFP rankings, putting the Crimson Tide in a prime position to make the playoff, even with three losses. But this isn’t about all about Alabama.

After beating then-No. 12 Clemson on the road this past Saturday, South Carolina only moved up one spot. That’s right. The Gamecocks went from 15th to 14th after beating what the committee believed to be the first team out just last week. The hottest team in college football was flat out disrespected and left for dead while the big brands like Alabama will probably live to fight another day.

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Now, the argument that many will make in favor of the committee’s decision (though let’s be real: not many people will probably ever agree with the committee) is South Carolina shouldn’t have lost three games. Fair. But if that’s the case, then why aren’t we punishing Alabama for losing three games as well? And by the way, two of the Tide’s losses came to 6-6 Vanderbilt and 6-6 Oklahoma — both on the road. The Gamecocks beat both of those teams by 21 and 26 points, respectively — also on the road.

If Ole Miss and South Carolina can be punished for losing three games, so can Alabama. But that’s never been how it works, nor will it ever be in the future. If the committee has given the Tide the edge over probably more deserving teams more than once in the CFP era, that’s not going to change anytime soon. Tuesday was a perfect example of that.

Everything that transpired in the latest rankings has set a bad precedent. For one, going on the road and beating a top 12 team means absolutely nothing to the committee. In the same vein, they dropped Clemson five spots for losing to South Carolina… It’s fair to assume they value the games you lose rather than the ones you win.

Also, didn’t this same committee put Alabama over Tennessee when the Vols had the head-to-head? And they also did the same thing when LSU, who beat South Carolina earlier in the season, was dropped behind the Gamecocks, even though they both had the same record. But now all of a sudden head-to-head matters with the Tide and Ole Miss being in front of South Carolina.

Let’s also not forget selection committee chair Warde Manuel literally said “South Carolina and LSU have gone in different directions” regarding their reasoning behind that decision. But when it came to the Gamecocks winning six straight games with multiple top 25 wins and Alabama and Ole Miss each losing two games, they didn’t bat an eye.

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As if all of that isn’t bad enough, teams are essentially being rewarded for playing lesser opponents. Of the 13 teams ranked ahead of the Gamecocks, nine have a strength of schedule ranked 30th or worse. For instance, Indiana will make the playoff as an 11-1 team with its best win coming against 7-5 Michigan. Yes, the Hoosiers dominated their other opponents. That excludes a 38-15 loss to Ohio State, which many consider their only real tough game.

With this logic, this should tell other teams like South Carolina to not schedule better opponents. Forget playing Virginia Tech, Coastal Carolina, maybe even Clemson next year. Is it too late to see if Akron and Wofford are available? Maybe give Kent State a quick ring. If you aren’t going to reward teams for playing tough schedules, then what is the point?

At the end of the day, the committee decided the Gamecocks’ losses to Ole Miss and Alabama were too hard to overlook. That’s understandable to some extent. But it’s really concerning that there seems to be no repercussions for losing to bad football teams or playing a cupcake schedule. You can play good teams week after week and win majority of those games by a comfortable margin. But it’s not good enough. You will still get left out.

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With Manuel saying the teams on the outside and not playing this weekend in conference championship games won’t move in the rankings because “there’s no data points to support them.” Even if South Carolina’s resume included a win over Clemson as the ACC champion, it would make no difference, according to Manuel. The playoff chase is officially over for the Gamecocks. A trip to Florida shouldn’t be too bad.

So, if there’s anything we learned from watching Tuesday’s selection show, it’s that big brand bias is real. When in doubt, expect the committee to always roll with the Tide. Their criteria is also way too inconsistent. You can go play your local junior varsity high school team down the street and that win or loss counts the same as playing a powerhouse D1 program. It’s a flawed system. And now, South Carolina joins the long list of many who have been passed over. It’s a real shame to say the least.

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