SMU's Rhett Lashlee demands ACC respect in CFB playoff format
Rhett Lashlee has Southern Methodist football positioned at No. 14 in the College Football Playoff rankings. However, the SMU head coach fired a stirring message to the selection committee Tuesday.
The Mustangs leader demands respect for the Atlantic Coast Conference as the playoff seedings become more crystallized soon. Lashlee has SMU currently leading the ACC. The Mustangs moved in front of the standings thanks to Georgia Tech's upset of No. 5 Miami on Saturday. But still, Lashlee turned to his press conference to hope the committee sheds the "one-bid" label attached to the ACC.
"There's conference bias," Lashlee began. "I think it's interesting that, when you look at the ACC, we have a winning record against the Big 10 this year. We [also] have a winning record against the Big 12 this year."
He acknowledged the ACC doesn't have a winning record against Southeastern Conference foes, "but we have four games left. And if we win enough of those, we would have a winning record."
Lashlee, who's 26-10 overall at SMU, shared his frustration with how the CFB committee may be viewing his conference.
"To look at our league and say, 'well, we may be a one-bid league,' but you look at another league you have a winning record against, they're going to get four in. It doesn't make any sense to me," Lashlee said. "It needs to make it make sense."
Can Rhett Lashlee's SMU team crash a playoff party?
Lashlee and SMU are delivering their case to earn one of the 12 postseason bids.
The Mustangs edged No. 22 Louisville in a conference showdown back on Oct. 5. SMU also knocked off Duke and Pittsburgh — two teams with seven victories. Lashlee has his team 5-0 against ACC foes. That's still an unbeaten mark in a Power 4 conference. But he continued to point out the "bias" feared for this new postseason format.
"When other leagues beat each other internally, they're considered a deep, solid league. But when we beat up internally, we're considered a weak league," Lashlee said. "I think we're a pretty deep league."
Lashlee believes the ACC is capable of sending up to three teams into the postseason. SMU and Miami are already nestled in the top 15.
However, the current rankings have four Big 10 teams ranked ahead of both Miami and SMU. The SEC has five ahead of the ACC leaders. BYU is the only Big 12 representative inside the top 10. Even mid-major Boise State is one spot ahead of SMU in the playoff rankings.
"I just want our league to get the same respect everyone else gets," Lashlee said. "I think our league has earned the right to be in the conversation. It's insulting to say, 'Oh, it's a one-bid league.'"
