On Sunday, December 3rd, the College Football Playoff Committee picked their four teams to compete for the title. The #1 Michigan Wolverines will face off against the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl Game, and the #2 Washington Huskies will square off with the #3 Texas Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Although many people acknowledge that Michigan, Washington, and Texas earned their spots, there is a lot of controversy surrounding Alabama getting a spot over Florida State.
This season, the Florida State Seminoles went 13-0, with their year being capped with a 16-6 win over #14 Louisville in the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte. Despite this record, the Seminoles took a huge hit to their team in Week 12 when QB Jordan Travis broke his leg vs. North Alabama. Because of Travis’ injury, Florida State’s playoff stock took a massive hit, and many people, more specifically the Playoff Committee, viewed the team as significantly weakened without their star quarterback. Shortly after the bracket was released, Jordan Travis tweeted a statement.
“Devastated. Heartbroken. In so much disbelief right now, I wish my leg broke earlier in the season so y’all could see this team is much more than the quarterback. I thought results matter. 13-0 and this roster matches up across any team in those top 4 rankings. I am so sorry. Go Noles!”
Travis’ statement was also backed up by head coach Mike Norvell, who attacked the Playoff Committee and called out the entire system in his own statement. Norvell released a statement via X, saying:
“What is the point of playing games? Do you tell players it is okay to quit if someone goes down? Do you not play Senior Day for fear of injury? What is the motivation to schedule challenging non-conference games? I’m hurting for our players who have displayed a tremendous amount of resilience and response this season. What happened today goes against everything that is true and right in college football. A team that overcame tremendous adversity and found a way to win doing whatever it took on the field was cheated today.”
Norvell’s thoughts have also been reciprocated by many sports reporters, including ESPN’s David Hale. Hale wrote an article expressing his opinion of why FSU was left out of the playoff, saying:
“None of it mattered. The games are pointless. It is an absolute slap in the face to every player who has ever put on a helmet, laced up cleats and marched onto the field to battle for a victory, because a bunch of folks in a conference room in Texas decided their sacrifice was not as important as the Las Vegas line on a potential playoff match-up. Let’s be real about what happened here: the committee members couldn’t leave the SEC out of the playoff – Alabama and the SEC had to have a spot in the playoff by birthright.”
Although many people seem to feel that FSU should’ve been included, I personally don’t think they deserved a spot after Travis’ injury. Although they’re a great team, they would have been heavy underdogs when matched up against the other teams in the playoff, and I really just don’t think they would have what it takes to hang with them. The only thing the Seminoles can do now is prove that the Committee made the wrong choice and destroy Georgia in the Orange Bowl this year.
