Former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III has voiced strong criticism of the College Football Playoff selection committee, deeming its final rankings “a complete joke.” His remarks came after Alabama received the No. 9 seed despite suffering a significant loss in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship. Griffin accused the committee of applying an inconsistent standard, particularly when comparing Alabama’s performance to that of other teams.
Griffin specifically pointed out the disparity in treatment between Alabama and BYU. Following a blowout defeat to Texas Tech, the committee punished BYU, which ended the season with an 11-2 record, while allowing Alabama to remain in contention despite its third loss. Griffin expressed disbelief at the apparent bias favoring the SEC, stating, “Getting blown out in the Conference Championship matters for a Big 12 team like BYU, but doesn’t matter for an SEC team like Alabama who had more losses and a bad loss to a 5-7 team? Unbelievable SEC bias.”
In his comments on social media platform X, Griffin highlighted a missed opportunity for the committee to elevate both Notre Dame and Miami after the losses suffered by Alabama and BYU. Instead, the committee controversially placed Miami ahead of the idle Fighting Irish, who ultimately found themselves excluded from the playoff picture entirely. Griffin remarked, “They punished BYU for losing, didn’t punish Alabama for losing and then flipped Notre Dame and Miami despite neither playing. None of it makes sense.”
The selection of five SEC teams for the playoff field has further fueled perceptions of bias within the selection process, a concern that Griffin believes threatens the integrity of college football’s championship framework. The debate continues as fans and analysts alike question the fairness of the rankings and the criteria applied by the committee.
As the discussions unfold, the implications of these decisions reverberate through college football, raising important questions about the future of the playoff system. The controversy is likely to be a focal point as teams and fans await the next steps in the evolving landscape of college athletics.
