Which Teams Were the Biggest Snubs for the College Football Playoff?

It doesn't really matter the size of the College Football Playoff (CFP). Someone is always going to be upset they were left outside the dance.

It could be 4 teams, 12 teams, 64 teams, or 100 teams. The last squad is always going to be upset. Now, at just 12 teams starting in 2024, we've got some teams that are going to be miffed -- especially in a year that feels wide open without one truly dominant team besides the Oregon Ducks.

Heck, the Ohio State Buckeyes might not recover from an epic choke at home last weekend. The Texas Longhorns can't get past the Georgia Bulldogs, who are down to QB2. There's no doubt that at least two or three teams that we waved goodbye to on Sunday could have won it all if health and schedule were in their favor.

With that said, who has the best case to be butthurt about the committee's decision? Let's investigate.

Biggest College Football Playoff Bracket Snubs

Alabama Crimson Tide

Most believed the final CFP spot was down to two teams: the SMU Mustangs and Alabama Crimson Tide.

SMU was down to the Clemson Tigers 24-7 at halftime, and a boat race could have really heightened the argument. Nonetheless, the Mustangs made a game of it to lose on a last-second field goal, and the committee decided they shouldn't be punished for that result while Alabama sat on the couch.

Realistically, the Crimson Tide's ceiling to win it all was much higher, though. SMU doesn't have a ranked win this season, and the Tide beat a playoff team (Georgia) and three other other ranked teams: the LSU Tigers, South Carolina Gamecocks, and Missouri Tigers.

The committee boxed themselves into this outcome by ranking SMU above Alabama all along despite the obvious gap in strength of victory. As a result, one of the very best teams in college football will visit some other bowl game as a result of a slip in Norman to the 6-6 Oklahoma Sooners three weeks ago.

Ole Miss Rebels

I still believe there's a case the Mississippi Rebels are the best team in the country.

We really knew they were out after they were ranked behind the Crimson Tide, Gamecocks, and Miami (FL) Hurricanes this past week, but South Carolina is probably the most egregious error when Ole Miss beat them, 27-3, in a head-to-head matchup with both teams' brightest stars healthy.

The Rebels were third in offensive yards per play (6.8 YPP) and eighth in defensive YPP allowed (4.4). Only Oregon, Ohio State, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish can also boast being a top-10 school in both categories.

Jaxson Dart's interception-laden finish against the Florida Gators was ugly, but the end result was still all three of their losses by a combined 13 points in the gauntlet of the SEC. This team also was missing stud wideout Tre Harris (5.15 yards per route run) for the bulk of the second half of the season, and he'd be healthy for the playoff.

On resumé, the Runnin' Rebels should undoubtedly be in above Alabama in the same conference, and Miami didn't have a single win over a ranked team. You could argue Cam Ward elevates the latter's prospects, but don't be surprised when Dart is a first-round pick in May himself.

South Carolina Gamecocks

The aforementioned Gamecocks certainly have a case to be miffed, too.

If you're going to leave Ole Miss out for "playing ugly" down the stretch, putting Alabama ahead of South Carolina is pretty ludicrous. As 'Bama stumbled against Oklahoma two weeks ago in a game that wasn't even competitive, USC picked up a trio of ranked wins over Clemson, Missouri, and the Texas A&M Aggies.

In fact, a two-point loss to the Crimson Tide was the Gamecocks' only setback when Rocket Sanders was healthy enough to manage at least 15 totes. They started the year without the star running back, and LaNorris Sellers posted a QBR in six of the seven games where Sanders did just that.

South Carolina's elite defense (4.5 YPP allowed; 11th in FBS) would have been just fine on a national stage, too.

Though I'd argue the Rebels should have gotten in first, I'd have still take Shane Beamer's bunch over Alabama or Miami.

Missouri Tigers

I thought the whole point of the expanded playoff was to add spots for teams who fell out of win-loss contention because of key injuries? These next two teams have that case.

One absence derailed the Missouri Tigers from potentially just breaking this argument among 9-3 SEC teams in their direction at 10-2. Senior quarterback Brady Cook didn't play when the team visiting Alabama, creating a 34-0 loss behind Drew Pyne's three interceptions. Pyne (36.8 QBR) was also the conductor holding the Arizona State Sun Devils back last year.

After Alabama got trounced by Oklahoma, who is to say Cook and Mizzou's prolific tandem of wideouts, Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr., wouldn't have made a game of that one? They were 9-2 in his starts this year with the exceptions being road losses to ranked Texas A&M and South Carolina teams.

Missouri's defense allowed 5.5 YPP this season (71st in FBS), so they weren't a title team, but their distance behind two-loss Miami and SMU teams -- both without a single ranked win -- is baffling.

Colorado Buffaloes

By the letter of the law, the Colorado Buffaloes weren't snubbed by the CFP committee at all. They were snubbed by their own conference.

Colorado ended in a four-way tie for the Big 12 but lost out to the Iowa State Cyclones on a convoluted tiebreaker despite the fact that ISU hasn't beaten a winning team on the road this season. Iowa State went on to get smacked, 45-19, in the Big 12 title game by Arizona State.

Realistically, Colorado was there if not for a one-score loss to the Kansas State Wildcats in a game that Heisman runaway favorite Travis Hunter was unable to finish.

However, if the Big 12 tiebreaker was simply just point differential inside the conference, CU (+144) would have been the top overall seed. It would have been fascinating to see how the Buffs' improved defense (4.7 YPP allowed; 20th in FBS) matched up with Cam Skattebo and ASU.

Conferences might look to restructure tiebreakers as the Big 12, ACC, and Big Ten ended with underwhelming regular-season results after seeing just how crucial these championship games have been to the committee.

Fans were robbed by the Big 12 of seeing two projected top-three draft picks, Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, mix it up with the best from other conferences.

You can also check out our latest 2024-25 College Football Playoff printable bracket, which is based on the most recent committee rankings.

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