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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said Friday the Mustangs‘ No. 8 ranking in the latest College Football Playoff selection committee rankings is the reason they should make the 12-team field, no matter what happens in the ACC championship game.
The Mustangs face No. 17 Clemson (9-3) on Saturday night with an automatic playoff berth on the line. SMU (11-1), in its first year in the ACC, was the only team to complete league play 8-0.
“The reason I know we should be in is because the committee has ranked us in. They’ve said we’re good enough,” Lashlee said during an ACC championship game news conference. “The regular season is complete. All 134 teams have played their regular season. It is over.
“The case is closed on that, and they said you’re the eighth-best team in the country. They said you’re better than two other teams that are currently in the field for an at-large. You’re better than them. Those teams didn’t earn the right to play in a conference championship game, and we did. So I don’t get how you could punish anybody for that.”
Selection committee chair Warde Manuel left wiggle room Tuesday when asked directly whether SMU could fall behind No. 11 Alabama (9-3) with a loss and he responded, “potentially yes.”
“They can move above teams, as well. Again, it just depends on the outcome of the game,” Manuel said.
Manuel also said the teams that are not playing Saturday are essentially locked in and cannot move up or down. He said the teams playing in their championship games will be moved.
“If the team ranked No. 9 can’t jump the team ranked No. 7 because neither of them played, then there’s no way the team ranked ninth or 11th can jump the team ranked eighth or fifth or whatever because they are playing this week,” Lashlee said.
There has been much debate about the role of conference championship games in the expanded playoff era, as coaches have wondered throughout the season whether playing in an extra game could end up punishing teams that lose.
Lashlee said skipping the ACC championship game never entered his mind.
“We did the right thing. We showed up. We value the opportunity to play in a conference championship game,” Lashlee said. “We value the opportunity to go compete with Dabo [Swinney] and Clemson for an ACC championship. That is a big deal. To have a chance to win our league, it’s a bigger deal than just playing for seeding, though that’s a part of it, too. But that’s the right thing to do. To me, that’s integrity. We’re going to show up and do the right thing and not find a way to bounce out because we were told on Tuesday night that if you don’t play, you’re in at 8.
“But we also know the committee has a tough job, so we believe and trust they’re going to do the right thing and reward our guys who’ve earned the right not only to play here tomorrow night but to be one of the 12 best teams in America because they ranked them that.”