SMU is in the College Football Playoff.

The Mustangs secured the final spot in the College Football Playoff against Alabama. SMU lost 34-31 to Clemson in the ACC title game on Saturday night, falling to 11-2. Alabama (9-3) did not play in conference championship weekend.

SMU fell from No. 8 to No. 10 after the loss, but remained one spot above Alabama in the rankings.

The group consists of five conference champions and seven major teams. The top four conference champions receive the four first round byes and the fifth conference champion must play in the first round. Clemson (10-3) was the last conference champion.

However, Clemson did not overtake SMU in the rankings. The Tigers earned the final spot in the 12-team playoffs at No. 16 and will play Texas in the first round.

Byes in the first round

1. Oregon (13-0, Big Ten champion)

2. Georgia (11-2, SEC champions)

3. Boise State (12-1, Mountain West champions)

4. Arizona State (11-2, Big 12 champion)

These four spots are no surprise. Oregon defeated Penn State to win the Big Ten title on Saturday night, while Georgia beat Texas in the SEC title game for the second time. Boise State beat UNLV in the Mountain West title game on Friday night, and Arizona State beat Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game.

The Sun Devils received the final bye due to the Mustangs’ loss. SMU was scheduled for a bye week with a win over Clemson.

The teams that receive a bye in the playoffs will play their first games at bowl sites. Oregon will be in the Rose Bowl on January 1st and Georgia will play in the Sugar Bowl. Boise State is moving out of the Fiesta Bowl on December 31st because it is ahead of ASU. The Sun Devils will play in the Peach Bowl on January 1st.

First round matches

No. 12 Clemson (10-3, ACC champion) at No. 5 Texas (11-2, overall) (December 21, 4 p.m. ET, TNT)

No. 11 SMU (11-2, overall) at No. 6 Penn State (11-2, overall) (December 21, 12:00 p.m. ET, TNT)

No. 10 Indiana (11-1, overall) at No. 7 Notre Dame (11-1, overall) (December 20, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN)

No. 9 Tennessee (10-2, overall) at No. 8 Ohio State (10-2, overall) (December 21, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN)

There are no rematches or matchups between teams from the same conference in the first round. Texas and Penn State remained ahead of Notre Dame despite their losses in conference championship games.

The only movement between the teams playing in the first round came via the ACC. It was tentatively planned that the conference would only have one team with an SMU win. But Clemson’s win earned the conference two playoff spots as SMU stayed ahead of Alabama.

SMU vs. Alabama

The decision to keep SMU in the playoff field against Alabama was based on the importance of the conference title games. SMU lost to a top-20 team in a game it earned by winning the regular season title in its conference. Alabama missed out on the SEC title because it lost by three touchdowns to a 6-6 Oklahoma team in the second-to-last week of the season.

Alabama has better wins than SMU. That is undeniable. It beat Georgia and won over South Carolina and Missouri, two teams ranked in the committee’s top 25. SMU does not have a win over any team in the current rankings.

However, SMU’s only loss of the regular season came at the hands of BYU, and the Mustangs remained undefeated in their first year in the ACC. Having a two-loss lead over Alabama, which advanced to the title game, proved to be a crucial advantage.

The key takeaway from the first season with a 12-team playoff is largely similar to the key takeaways from seasons with a four-team playoff: Bad losses to mediocre teams are extremely damaging to your playoff chances.

1. Oregon (13-0)

2. Georgia (11-2)

3. Texas (11-2)

4. Penn State (11-2)

5. Notre Dame (11-1)

6. Ohio State (10-2)

7. Tennessee (10-2)

8. Indiana (10-2)

9. Boise State (12-1)

10. SMU (11-2)

11. Alabama (9-3)

12. Arizona State (11-2)

13. Miami (10-2)

14. Ole Miss (9-3)

15. South Carolina (9-3)

16. Clemson (10-3)

17. BYU (10-2)

18. Iowa State (10-3)

19. Missouri (9-3)

20. Illinois (9-3)

21. Syracuse (9-3)

22nd Army (11-1)

23. Colorado (9-3)

24. UNLV (10-3)

25. Memphis (10-2)