TAMPA, Fla. — The Florida State Seminoles did everything they could to qualify for the four-team college football playoff. The Noles went undefeated, won a conference championship, and were ready for the playoffs.
Then, the College Football Playoff Committee decided that FSU, despite its accomplishments, was not one of the four best teams in the country, and the Noles are now on the outside looking in.
Instead, the University of Texas and the University of Alabama, both teams with one loss, jumped the Noles for the final two playoff positions along with undefeated Michigan and Washington.
FSU staff, players, Florida politicians, and especially fans were furious with the selection committee's choices.
The College Football Playoff Committee in 2023 was made up of former athletic directors, coaches, players, and a sportswriter (now a professor). Specifically, the committee members this season are:
- Chris Ault, former head coach and athletic director at Nevada
- Mitch Barnhart, athletic director at University of Kentucky
- Boo Corrigan, athletic director at NC State (Committee Chair)
- Chet Gladchuk, athletic director at Navy
- Jim Grobe, former head coach at multiple schools
- Mark Harlan, athletic director at Utah
- Warde Manuel, athletic director at Michigan
- David Sayler, athletic director at Miami (Ohio)
- Will Shields - former NFL player, Outland Trophy winner, College Football Hall of Famer
- Gene Taylor, athletic director at Kansas State
- Joe Taylor, vice president of intercollegiate athletics, Virginia Union University
- Rod West, former Notre Dame player, member of the board of directors for the National Football Foundation
- Kelly Whiteside, professor at Montclair State University, 14 years as a college football writer at USA Today
The committee, according to the College Football Playoff website, chooses four teams based on strength of schedule, head-to-head results against common opponents, championships won, and "other factors."
Looking first at the strength of schedule, here's how the playoff teams ranked:
- Michigan - 33
- Washington - 11
- Texas - 13
- Alabama - 5
- Ohio State - 7
- Georgia - 37
- FSU - 55
But, weighing too much into the strength of schedule can also penalize a team for a down season from a typically strong team like Clemson and the Florida Gators, both of which struggled and brought down FSU's strength of schedule this season.
Michigan, Washington, Texas, Alabama, and FSU all won their conference championships, which gave all of them a leg up in the CFP ranking process.
The Noles and Alabama both beat LSU this season. FSU beat the Tigers in the first game of the season when LSU was ranked number 5 in a preseason poll (note: the CFP disregards those polls). Alabama beat LSU in November when the Tigers were ranked number 14 overall in the CFP rankings.
Alabama and Texas also played each other the second week of the regular season, with the Longhorns walking out of Tuscaloosa with a 34-24 victory over the then-number 3 Crimson Tide.
Looking deeper, the Noles had three wins over teams in the final CFP Top 25 (LSU, Clemson, Louisville), while Alabama had four, including a win over a Georgia team that was ranked number one nearly all season long.
Finally, there were the "other factors" that aren't enumerated on the CFP's FAQ page. The CFP said FSU quarterback Jordan Travis' devastating leg injury and subsequent injury to backup Tate Rodemaker were both factors that counted against the Noles.
Going deeper, with Travis at quarterback, FSU averaged 38.3 points and 333.7 yards per game. With backups against two FBS schools, FSU averaged 20 points and 221.5 yards per game.
When coming down to the eye test, FSU struggled against a non-bowl-bound Florida Gators team and an up-and-coming Louisville team in the ACC Championship Game. Alabama struggled against bowl-bound Auburn and then beat the overall number-one team in the country, Georgia, in the SEC Championship Game.
While both teams were neck and neck in almost any ranking, as the season wore down, Alabama got stronger as FSU started to struggle without Travis at quarterback. The Noles' defense stepped up, but in the end, it wasn't enough to overtake the Crimson Tide.
Was it the right decision?
It depends on who you ask, but the outrage among sportswriters and fans was strong in the aftermath of the decision.
Will the four best teams play in the CFP?
That remains to be seen, but if nothing else, the CFP ensured that the playoffs will be the talk of the sports world for the next few weeks.
What happens now?
Next season, fans don't have to worry as much as the playoff expands to 12 teams. Still, then we will argue about which one or two loss team gets left out and the debate will start again.
