Overview

• At a Nick’s Kids Foundation luncheon in Tuscaloosa, Saban said teams face a disadvantage because losses are penalized more than strength of schedule is rewarded.
• Last season’s three-loss Alabama team missed the expanded 12-team Playoff, finishing behind one-loss SMU despite holding more top-25 victories.
• SEC commissioner Greg Sankey distributed “A Regular Season Gauntlet” literature at spring meetings to spotlight the impact of schedule rigor on Playoff selection.
• Saban identified Texas, LSU, Florida, Alabama and Georgia as his five SEC national title contenders and noted his surprise omissions of Ole Miss and South Carolina.
• Conference discussions between SEC leaders and the CFP committee are underway but no official changes to the selection criteria have been adopted.