Alabama AD Makes CFP Case, Promotes Tide’s SEC Schedule: ‘Not All… Are Created Equal’

Add Greg Byrne to the mix of CFP spots.

Alabama’s athletics director offered his thoughts Monday night on why Alabama football should be in the College Football Playoff. Byrne posted his opinion on social media.

“Here’s a good look at the numbers/rankings for @AlabamaFTBL. “You have to realize that there’s a lot of talk out there about 2v3 losing teams, but that’s just one factor,” Byrne wrote on X. “If you look at it @CFBPlayoff Principles for its selection committee, the first item on the list of considerations is the strength of the schedule. Not all schedules and conferences are created equal. We have worked diligently to add more challenging non-conference home-and-home games, which is good for college football, not to mention the week-in week-out SEC is the toughest in the country.”

Byrne pointed out that Alabama is ranked No. 4 in ESPN FPI, No. 10 in record strength and No. 17 in schedule strength, among other rankings.

Alabama has a resume that includes wins over three ranked teams: Georgia, South Carolina and Missouri. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide has lost to Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.

Alabama (9-3) was ranked No. 13 in the CFP rankings last Tuesday. It moved up to No. 11 in Sunday’s AP Top 25 and Coaches Polls. It remains to be seen where the Crimson Tide will land in the latest CFP rankings this Tuesday. The final CFP rankings will be finalized on Sunday.

Alabama captain Tyler Booker also explained why on Monday

“I feel like the playoffs are designed to have the 12 best teams in the country,” Booker said on “The Next Round.” “If you look at the film and think Alabama isn’t one of the best teams in the country, I don’t know what you would call one of the top 12 teams in the country based on the schedule we played and the talent that we have on our team, I definitely think we are one of the top 12 teams in the country. Our record may not be the best, but when Alabama plays, we are definitely one of the 12 best teams in the country.”

The Crimson Tide can no longer add to his resume; it didn’t make it to the SEC championship game. So it will have to wait and see its fate without playing this weekend.