ACC Commish Confuses Jordan Travis as Miami, SMU's QB in Viral CFP Debate Video
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips flubbed his remarks twice on College GameDay when defending SMU amid the College Football Playoff debate on the Mustangs.
"Last year we suffered through having to hear about Jordan Travis being out and Miami not being the same," Phillips said, per Zach Blostein of Noles247.
"Well, it cuts both ways. Since Jordan Travis took over, they're [SMU] is 9-0. They have more Power 4 wins than Texas does. They're 8-0 in the conference."
Travis was the starting quarterback for the 2023 Florida State Seminoles, not Miami. FSU missed out on the four-team College Football Playoff despite going 13-0 and winning the ACC. Then-CFP committee chair Boo Corrigan cited Travis' season-ending injury on Nov. 18, 2023, as a reason for FSU missing the playoff.
Second, SMU moved to Kevin Jennings over Preston Stone as its starting quarterback after the season's first three weeks, which were capped by an 18-15 loss to BYU. SMU has since rolled off nine straight wins, including an 8-0 conference record, en route to an ACC Championship Game appearance Saturday against Clemson.
SMU, of course, is in the CFP if it beats Clemson for the conference title on Saturday evening. If not, then the Mustangs may need to hold their breath until the CFP field is revealed.
At this time, SMU is eighth in the CFP ranking. Indiana sits ninth at 11-1, with a loss to Ohio State. Boise State is 10th, but the Broncos are in after capturing the Mountain West conference title.
No Big 12 team was in the top 14 going into the weekend, but that champion will get an automatic berth.
So the team at the center of this debate is Alabama, with a 9-3 record, at No. 11.
In a recent conversation with reporters, CFP chair Warde Manuel had this to say when asked if SMU could fall below Alabama with a loss: "Potentially, yes. And they can move above teams, as well. Again, it just depends on the outcome of the game."
That, of course, raises a few questions.
For starters, SMU lost two fewer games than Alabama.
Second, SMU would in essence get punished for playing one more game than Alabama, begging the question of whether it would incentivize the Mustangs to avoid playing in the ACC Championship at all.
Of course, Alabama could point to playing in a much tougher conference and a high-quality victory over No. 5 Georgia, so the debate would rage on if SMU lost.
The bottom line is this: There's a lot at stake here. SMU might need all the lobbying and politicking it can get if a worst-case scenario goes down.
So it probably didn't help matters that Phillips struggled on air making his case on live television, to the point where he confused FSU with rival Miami and couldn't come up with the name of SMU's starting quarterback at first mention.
It could be all for naught, though, if SMU comes through. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.
