I think ND and Bama both are flawed enough, in different ways, that if either was left out, you’d have a hard time arguing they should be in.
I think the baseline with Bama is a bit cleaner, but if ND was in and you made the pitch (played better, playing better, higher floor, etc), I wouldn’t be on the warpath.
I think this does kind of show the current size it about optimum. Like, if the line is this Miami-Bama-ND trio, that seems good. (I’m not in love with Oklahoma, but respect the resume)