By Dan Zealley
South Carolina, Alabama, and SMU were considered the teams battling for the final spot in the CFP. The
committee went with SMU. Shane Beamer believes that spot should have been for an SEC school he tells On3
Sports.
Shane Beamer believes the SEC deserves automatic CFP bids, he tells @PeteNakos_👀
"The fact of the matter is, we beat the ACC champion on their field this year and didn’t get in… I do believe this league is just different than others, and there has to be some consideration."… pic.twitter.com/8GecvRFAmi
— On3 (@On3sports) February 7, 2025
Following the announcement of the playoff bracket, people around the southeast thought one of their
teams should have made it over SMU. Both South Carolina and Alabama sat there at 9-3 and they play
in what many believe is the best conference in the country. 10-2 SMU was the committee’s choice after
they lost to Clemson in the ACC championship game.
Beamer told On3 “…I do believe this league is just different than others, and there has to be some
consideration.”
The Gamecocks had their best season in years in 2024. Wins came against Oklahoma, Texas A&M,
Missouri, and Clemson. They finished the season as one of the hottest teams and on a six-game winning
streak.
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“The fact of the matter is, we beat the ACC champion on their field this year and didn’t get in…” Beamer
said.
Changes are likely coming to the setup of the College Football Playoffs in the next few years. There will
surely be an expansion of the number of teams after the success of the first year of the 12-team playoff.
12, 16 or more is coming. Automatic bids are also likely for the SEC and Big Ten as they hold most of the
power over the other conferences. That’s not soon enough for Beamer.
