Usually schools and fans wait until the College Football Playoff is officially set before criticism and criticism is leveled at the selection committee, but that did not happen on Tuesday evening.
Cyclones in the state of Iowa athletics director Jamie Pollard and SMU Mustangs athletics director Rick Hart got into an argument on social media following the release of the penultimate rankings.
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SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, #7, reacts to showing a touchdown pass to teammate wide receiver Derrick McFall, #20, during the first half of an NCAA college football game against California on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
The Mustangs will compete for an ACC championship with an 11-1 record and a nine-game winning streak, while the Cyclones (10-2) will compete for a Big 12 title, with a win likely their only chance is to win the College Football title. Play-off.
That didn’t seem to sit well with Pollard.
“Disappointing strength of schedule clearly doesn’t matter for SMU, Indiana and Boise State. The message is clear: win as many games as possible, no matter who you play,” Pollard wrote on X. “Time to rethink non-conference scheduling. different standards than the basketball committee.”
Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht, #3, looks to pass during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Kansas State on Saturday, November 30, 2024 in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Iowa State was not among the 12 teams in the playoffs in Tuesday’s rankings. SMU was ranked third.
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Hart fired back at Pollard.
“Jamie, respect you, but bad call. ISU had No. D, Iowa, Ark. St. non-con. SMU had Nev., HCU, TCU, BYU. (And scrambled because Vandy dropped us.) SMU 1 of 2 to win all conf. games, 1 of 3 with 9 P4 wins, was behind by more than 6 minutes in TOTAL, I could continue… Stay off my lawn he wrote on X.
SMU running back LJ Johnson Jr., No. 11, defends the ball against Virginia safety Ethan Minter, No. 30, during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Charlottesville, Virginia. (AP Photo/Mike Kropf)
Pollard shot back.
“Rick, beat Clemson on Saturday and I will respect your ranking,” Pollard wrote. “Until then, you didn’t play Clemson, Miami, Georgia Tech or Syracuse AND lose to BYU at home. It looks like your lawn is artificial.”
Hart added that the school “will continue to monitor what we can control.”
Iowa State offensive lineman Jalen Travis, No. 72, gets ready for a play during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Kansas State on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
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There’s a lot riding on the conference championship games to determine final seeding.
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