Rhett Lashlee stumps for ACC, slams College Football Playoff committee for 'brand biases, conference biases' from

Rhett Lashlee decries CFP committee's treatment of ACC schools

Miami's coach says ACC has been slighted

Miami Hurricanes coach Rhett Lashlee didn't hold back in his criticism of the College Football Playoff (CFP) committee on Wednesday, accusing it of “brand biases” and “conference biases” that have kept ACC teams out of the playoff in recent years.

Lashlee's comments came after the CFP committee released its final rankings for the 2022 season, which left ACC champion Clemson outside the top four and thus out of the playoff.

It's the second straight year that an ACC team has been left out of the playoff despite winning the conference championship. In 2021, Wake Forest won the ACC title but was left out of the playoff in favor of two-loss Notre Dame.

Lashlee said he believes the CFP committee is biased against the ACC and that the conference's teams are not given a fair shake when it comes to playoff selection.

Lashlee questions selection of Ohio State, Alabama

Lashlee specifically questioned the inclusion of Ohio State and Alabama in the playoff this year, arguing that both teams had weaker schedules than Clemson.

“Ohio State played a terrible schedule,” Lashlee said. “They didn't play anybody. And Alabama lost to LSU. So how do they get in?”

Lashlee said he believes the CFP committee is too focused on brand names and conference affiliations when making its selections, rather than on actual team performance.

“It's all about brand biases and conference biases,” Lashlee said. “It's not about who the best teams are.”

ACC coaches have long complained about CFP bias

Lashlee is not the first ACC coach to complain about the CFP committee's bias against the conference.

In 2021, then-Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said the CFP committee was “out of touch” with the realities of college football.

“They're not even close to being in touch with what's going on in college football,” Swinney said. “They're just making it up as they go.”

The CFP committee has defended its selection process, saying that it uses a variety of factors to evaluate teams, including strength of schedule, head-to-head results, and overall performance.

However, many ACC fans and coaches believe that the committee is biased against the conference and that its teams are not given a fair chance to compete for the national championship.

CFP expansion could help ACC teams

The CFP is currently set to expand to 12 teams in 2024, which could help ACC teams get into the playoff.

With 12 teams in the playoff, it is more likely that at least one ACC team will be included each year.

However, it is also possible that the expansion of the CFP will only benefit the Power Five conferences and that ACC teams will still be left out in the cold.

Only time will tell if the CFP expansion will help ACC teams get into the playoff. But for now, ACC fans and coaches will continue to complain about the committee's bias against the conference.