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The College Football Playoff season is finally here and over the next four weeks, the best teams from across America will compete to determine the best college football team in the country.

But while it’s the best time of the year for the 12 teams selected for the climax of the season, for those left out of the new playoff system it felt like an unwelcome, early lump of coal.

As always, the selection process is met with expected controversy this time of year. Who were the biggest teams left out this time and how will they spend their holidays after being excluded by the committee? Let’s take a look:

For many, Bama is the biggest exclusion from the playoffs.

The Tide finished the season with a 9-3 record and is the only team ranked in the top 12 of the CFP Selection Committee’s final rankings that did not make the playoffs.

The committee chose the 11-2 SMU Mustangs, citing the ACC team’s undefeated conference record in the regular season as a deciding factor.

“We looked at the number of wins Alabama had against ranked opponents. We looked at SMU’s schedule and saw that they were undefeated in the conference. Their losses were to ranked teams, but we also looked at Alabama’s loss to unranked teams,” said Warde Manuel, University of Michigan athletic director and committee chairman.

“We value a good schedule. That’s why Alabama, as a team with three losses, is ahead of other teams that have two losses,” Manuel explained.

“We just felt like SMU was still ahead of Alabama by 10 points in this particular instance, but that’s no disrespect to the strength of Alabama’s schedule.”

The powerhouse is missing the playoffs for just the third time since the start of the 2014 CFP season, and the Crimson Tide could now change the way it selects its future opponents after this year’s snub.

“I want to play competitive games, we want to play the best games,” Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said after missing.

“With our schedule and the wins we had against teams that were ranked at the time or were now ranked or even ranked, it definitely felt like it wasn’t rewarded.”

The Crimson Tide will instead have to settle for playing in the ReliaQuest Bowl and taking on last year’s champion, the Michigan Wolverines, in Tampa, Florida.

Despite the disappointment, DeBoer said his team will make the most of the final game of the season.

Another team on the cusp of the CFP was Miami.

Led by Heisman Trophy finalist and star quarterback Cam Ward, the team finished the season with a 10-2 record but landed at No. 13 in the final CFP rankings.

In the Dec. 3 rankings (Week 14), the Hurricanes were ranked No. 12 behind the Crimson Tide, ultimately dashing their hopes of a playoff spot, much to the dismay of Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich.

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Radakovich has since suggested that the timing of the final rankings needs to be changed with an eye on future years, after Manuel said some teams were “locked in” after the Week 14 rankings.

“It was a really, really difficult four or five days for the players, both at Alabama and for us,” Radakovich said before the bowl game in Miami, according to ESPN.

“They will do a ranking before Thanksgiving. “Probably just let it go and then the championship games come and then the committee gets together this weekend and makes its final rankings,” Radakovich added.

Although the Hurricanes missed the playoffs, they still have a glimmer of hope of playing in the now legendary Pop-Tarts Bowl.

The Hurricanes will face the Iowa State Cyclones with a chance to get their hands on the brand new Pop-Tarts Bowl trophy, which features a fully functioning toaster for the winners to prepare post-game treats.

It wouldn’t be the College Football Playoff if a local public figure hadn’t spoken out about his team’s result, and Daniel Rickenmann – mayor of Columbia, South Carolina – certainly made his feelings known.

“The Gamecocks should be in the College Football Playoff,” Rickenmann posted on Facebook before saying he would move forward with the decision.

“The CFP Committee’s recent rankings are a mistake. That’s why I’m introducing a resolution at the next City Council meeting to support the Gamecocks’ participation in the College Football Playoff. The Gamecocks deserve a playoff spot and we were thrilled with their hard work throughout the season.

“Columbia is proud of our flagship university and its positive impact on our state. This team deserves recognition and the committee made its decision behind closed doors and without a clear process. Throughout the season, the Gamecocks consistently exceeded expectations and fought through adversity.”

The mayor further asked how the committee selected the playoff teams.

“Obviously strength of schedule, losses to unranked teams and margin of victory were not taken into account. The Committee’s decision will result in a loss of benefit to our community, which will have a detrimental impact on Columbia. The Gamecocks are a top 12 team. Forever for you.”

The Gamecocks finished the season with a 9-3 record and enjoyed great success with a six-game winning streak to end their 2024 season. Head coach Shane Beamer also believed the team deserved a spot in the playoffs.

“Winning is hard, and whether you win eight, nine or 10, it’s really hard to win football games, but it’s really, really hard to win football games in this league,” Beamer said on The Paul Finebaum Show , before detailing his difficult team’s schedule.

While Beamer acknowledged that his team lost to ‘Bama and Ole Miss, he explained that the committee has taken injuries into account in the past and should have done so this year as well, as his team lost close games and was missing key players.

After failing to reach the postseason, the Gamecocks will instead face the Illinois Fighting Illini on New Year’s Eve in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida.

This year’s CFP will not feature Travis Hunter as the Heisman Trophy-winning Colorado Buffaloes did not make it to the postseason tournament.

Hunter had a season for the history books in 2024, playing both wide receiver and cornerback.

The Colorado standout is averaging a hard-to-believe 118 snaps per game per PFF. These are split evenly between his two roles, with Hunter playing 709 offensive snaps and 713 defensive snaps this season.

Hunter led the Buffaloes in receptions and receiving yards this season, accumulating 1,152 yards on 92 receptions. Unsurprisingly, he also led the team in touchdowns with 15, including a rushing touchdown, while also blocking wide receivers on defense.

Hunter’s season ends not with a shot at national championship glory, but with a 9-3 win between Colorado and the BYU Cougars in the Alamo Bowl.