The final four-team College Football Playoff will be a historic one. An undefeated conference champion will miss out for the first time. And, of course, it’s an ACC school.
The committee decided that Michigan, Washington and Texas and Alabama were the four most deserving teams in college football this season, leaving 13-0 ACC champion Florida State out in the cold.
Florida State, despite losing star quarterback Jordan Travis late in the season, did everything it was supposed to do this season. It couldn’t have done anything more. And the committee decided that the Seminoles were a “different team” than they were through the first 11 weeks of the season in justifying the snub.
It’s a decision from the committee, a committee headed by North Carolina State athletic director Boo Corrigan, that could have a lasting effect on the landscape of college football.
“It’s unfathomable that Florida State, an undefeated Power Five conference champion, was left out of the College Football Playoff,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said in a press release. “Their inclusion calls into question the selection process and whether the Committee’s own guidelines were followed, including the significant importance of being an undefeated Power Five conference champion. My heart breaks for the talented FSU student-athletes and coaches and their passionate and loyal fans. Florida State deserved better. College football deserved better.”
Understandably, Florida State is less than thrilled to be left out of the final four-team Playoff.
“For many of us, today’s decision by the committee forever damaged the credibility of the institution that is the College Football Playoff,” Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said in a press release. “And, saddest of all, it was self-inflicted. They chose predictive competitiveness over proven performance; subjectivity over fact. They have become a committee of prognosticators. They have abandoned their responsibility by discarding their purpose — to evaluate performance on the field.
“Our players, coaches, and fans — as well as those who love this sport — deserve better. The committee failed college football today.”
It’s heartbreaking for the Florida State players most of all, a team that went 13-0 despite injuries to its top two quarterbacks and won the ACC championship by double digits against Louisville Saturday night. Travis actually took to Twitter to apologize to Seminoles’ fans.
The College Football Playoff is set for New Year’s Day, with Michigan taking on Alabama and Washington taking on Texas. Florida State, if it chooses to play, will be headed to a New Year’s Six bowl game.
Whether it’s college baseball screwing Pitt two seasons ago to get into the NCAA Tournament, or the CFP screwing FSU, the SEC bias dominates.
College football is broken in more ways than one.
Wow, the snub of all snubs. Corruption at it’s worst. I remember when Pitt went undefeated in the ’76 regular season (only major team to do so that year). There was so much media yapping about how weak Pitt’s schedule was so there was no way they deserved to be given the top ranked team in the Country designation. Georgia was cockier than ever before the two teams met in the Sugar Bowl as they thought they would crush Pitt. The Panthers embarrassed the BullDogs on their way to being National Champions. I bring this up only since Pitt would… Read more »
FSU should hold a parade, sell merchandise and declare themselves National Champs if they win their bowl game. Especially, if Michigan and Washington lose a game and they are the lone unbeaten team.
Perhaps they should schedule better. The committee decided like the basketball tournament, non conference opponents and injuries are a factor all things being very close
They played LSU and Florida.
SEC’s best non-conference win was kentucky over Louisville. A team FSU beat by 10 with their fr, 1st time starting, 3rd string qb. It’s weak they aren’t in and I’m not a fsu backer by any stretch.
Looks like I’m in the minority here, but I think the committee got it right. Sorry, but there’s no way that a Florda State team w/o Jordan Travis is better than Alabama. So, if it’s the committee’s job to select the four best team, mission accomplished.
You are dumb and your mom knows it. Unfortunately you have no clue who your dad is.
Thanks for the thoughtful response to my comment. Unfortunately Kelvin, you are wrong once again. Although my mother might agree with you, I actually do know who my father is.
You really don’t know if an FSU team without Travis is weaker than Alabama (which struggled against Arkansas and Texas A&M). What you do know is that FSU, from a major FBS conference, went undefeated. This alone has earned them a shot at the national title. Selecting teams for the playoffs should definitely not take into account player injuries (when has this ever even occurred previously??!). The more team selections are based on speculation and conjecture, the more failed the system will be. It’s pretty difficult to make a field goal if the goal posts can be moved. This is… Read more »
Well, I’m still on the committee’s side when they stated that Florida State is not the same team without Jordan Travis (yes, player availability is one of their stated criteria, as it should be)…but if you want to believe that there’s a $$ conspiracy controlling the whole process, that’s fine too.
…and Florida State will have the opportunity to prove me wrong when they meet Georgia in the Orange Bowl (now there’s a team that really got screwed)…I know which team I’ll be putting my money on.
Alabama struggled with South Florida; miraculously beat Auburn (who lost 31-10 at home the week before to New Mexico State} to escape both with with their starting QB while FSU wins down the stretch with backup QB’s and they aren’t good enough to meet the standards of this committee?
Sorry FSU, but in their eyes only the bluest of blue blood programs are currently considered worthy enough. Next year, perhaps a serf or two can participate (maybe after the eight or more from the Big Ten & SEC…..watch for it).
Someone already did that break down. The top 13 teams in the latest rankings, and using the conferences like how they will look next season, 12 out of 13 teams are from the big 10 or SEC.
FSU is the only team not in one of those conferences.
Think that bodes well for schools like Pitt? Of course not
Lets face it, any one of the 4 teams would kick FL ST. all over the field. No matter what conference they played in.