The first round of the College Football Playoff underwhelmed many on social media. As Indiana and SMU suffered massive blowout defeats to Notre Dame and Penn State, respectively, many complained that the right teams weren't chosen.
Former Auburn WR Anthony Schwartz didn't call out the committee or the Hoosiers and Mustangs for the CFP's less-than-thrilling opening weekend. Instead, he called out six SEC teams, including the Tigers, for allowing it to happen.
"Alabama, Florida, Auburn, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas A&M you guys are all at fault for this," Schwartz tweeted.
To be clear, only three SEC teams were truly in the mix for a CFP spot heading into Week 14: Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina. Texas A&M's loss to Auburn in Week 13 disqualified them. But Florida and AU were never in the mix. Perhaps Schwartz was making a broader point that those schools should've been in a better position to contend given their resources, but that wasn't made clear.
Perhaps Schwartz believes Florida and Auburn should've been in the mix this season. UF could've been had Billy Napier named DJ Lagway QB1 from the start of the season. AU would've needed better QB play than was possible in their room; a room that is now completely replaced for the 2025 season.
The SEC reaped what it sowed. You can't lose to Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, or Kentucky and still make the playoff. You can't lose three games at all unless you win a conference championship like Clemson did, apparently.
Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina all did. Lose less next year and then maybe there's a case to be made for all three to make the field. 2024 wasn't their year with enough one-loss and two-loss teams to fill the field.