WATCH: Alabama superfan Roll Tide Willie freaks out and loses control after Crimson Tide's playoff snub

Alabama was left out of the College Football Playoff on Sunday. The selection committee went for SMU, which lost the ACC championship game to Clemson on Saturday, ahead of the Crimson Tide. Despite losing three games, Kalen DeBoer's team had some hope of making it.

The Crimson Tide (9-3) missed out on the playoff in a year when it expanded to 12 teams. The miss underscores the program's struggle to live up to its standards following the Nick Saban era, immediately placing DeBoer under significant pressure in Tuscaloosa.

Following the announcement of the CFP selection on Sunday, Alabama superfan Roll Tide Willie expressed his frustration at the Crimson Tide getting snubbed. He caught the live broadcast of the selection on television, immediately getting furious after SMU made it.

CFP chairman explains why Alabama was left out

Following the announcement of the playoff bracket on Sunday, CFP selection committee chairman Warde Manuel explained why Alabama got snubbed. He noted that the level of teams the Crimson Tide lost to was the tipping point in placing SMU ahead of them.

“We looked at the number of wins Alabama had against ranked opponents,” he said. “We looked at SMU’s schedule, and they were undefeated in conference. Their losses were to ranked teams. But we also looked at Alabama’s losses to unranked teams. And it was quite a debate.”

The strength of their schedule and brand name were believed to offer the Tide some edge for the ranking. However, the Mustangs' performance in the ACC championship game made it difficult to leave them out of the playoff.

Nick Saban reacts to Alabama’s playoff snub

Nick Saban appeared on ESPN's coverage of the College Football Playoff reveal, where he shared his thoughts — at length — on the committee's decision to choose SMU over Alabama.

While he acknowledged that SMU deserved a playoff spot, he repeatedly emphasized Alabama's strength of schedule. He underscored it as a critical factor that he believed warranted greater consideration by the committee.

“If we don't take the strength of schedule into consideration, is there any benefit to scheduling really good teams in the future?" Saban said. "Here at Alabama, we're supposed to play Notre Dame, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Florida State in the future outside the league.”

Alabama boasted three wins over Top 25 opponents, including a signature victory against Georgia, while SMU went the entire season without defeating a single ranked team. The Mustangs also had their schedule ranked 75th on ESPN metric compared to Alabama's 17th.