GOOD NEWS: FOR FLORIDA STATES HE IS BACK…
It wasn’t the four teams that were included which got people talking – the Michigan Wolverines, Washington Huskies, Texas Longhorns and Alabama Crimson Tide were chosen for the semifinal stage – but the one that was excluded.
The omission of the Florida State Seminoles was a huge bone of contention for many, in particular to those inside the program.
“For many of us, today’s decision by the committee has forever damaged the credibility of the institution that is the College Football Playoff,” said Florida State University (FSU) athletics director Michael Alford.
Here is everything you need to know about why FSU was excluded and why the decision has been seen to be so controversial.
Left out
Florida State enjoyed an excellent 2023 season.
The Seminoles went 13-0 for the third time in program history. Their last two wins, however, came without their star quarterback, Jordan Travis, who suffered a broken leg in FSU’s home game against North Alabama on November 18, ending his season.
Instead of folding, Florida State rallied, coming from behind on the road to defeat Florida in Gainesville with backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker. But Rodemaker, with a head injury, wasn’t available for Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference title game against Louisville.
In stepped third-string quarterback Brock Glenn, a freshman, who helped the Seminoles do enough to defeat the Cardinals 16-6.
They may have been undefeated, but in the eyes of the members of the College Football Playoff committee, that wasn’t enough to sway them to include the Seminoles, instead selecting Alabama. With the selection, the Crimson Tide will make its eighth appearance in the College Football Playoff, the most of any team.
The Seminoles are the first undefeated team from a major Power-5 conference to be excluded from the playoffs since its inception in 2014.
Speaking on ESPN on Sunday, College Football Playoff committee chair Boo Corrigan explained why FSU was left out of the top four.
“Florida State is a different team than they were through the first 11 weeks,” said Corrigan. “An incredible season. But as you look at who they are as a team, right now, without Jordan Travis, without the offensive dynamic that he brings to it, they are a different team.”