"You didn't give one crap about strength of schedule": AJ McCarron calls out CFP committee's selection process after SMU edged Alabama last season

AJ McCarron has hit out at the College Football Playoff selection committee for picking SMU over Alabama as part of the 12 teams that made the playoff last season.

McCarron, a former Alabama quarterback, appeared on "THE DYNASTY" podcast on Wednesday. While discussing a 16-team playoff format, he lashed out at the CFP selection committee for their selection process. (Start at 4:45)

"The first metric on your system for seeding teams should be strength of schedule. Because last year, you proved as a committee that you didn't give one crap about strength of schedule, right?.

"You allowed SMU, who was 41st in strength of schedule last year, to bump over Alabama, that was 20th in strength of schedule. And then, on top of that, you also showed that you had no clue what you were doing when Clemson beat SMU in the ACC championship, and then you still proceeded to put them ahead of Clemson when it came to the rankings. What sense did that make?"

Alabama went 9-4 in its first season under new head coach Kalen DeBoer last year. However, there were still arguments for Bama getting an at-large bid.

SMU (11-2) ended up claiming the final spot but lost in the first round to Penn State, 38-10.

AJ McCarron thinks SEC shouldn't be limited to four automatic bids

AJ McCarron and his co-hosts discussed a possible 16-team playoff format for 2026. The Big Ten is backing a 4-4-2-2-1 model, which would give four automatic bids to the Big Ten and SEC, two for the ACC and Big 12, and one for the highest-ranked Group of Five champion. The last three spots would be based on the CFP rankings.

Meanwhile, the ACC and Big 12 want a 5+11 model, with automatic bids for the five highest-ranked conference champions, and 11 bids based on the CFP rankings.

AJ McCarron believes the 5+11 is better for the SEC given the overall strength of the conference. (Start at 3:39)

"Towards the end of the season when these rankings are coming out, it's not a surprise if the SEC has six to eight teams ranked in the Top 25. Why would you limit yourself to only four automatic bids?"

Last season, the final CFP ranking included seven SEC teams in the top 25 (Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Missouri), with six inside the top 16.