An undefeated season that wasn’t rewarded with a College Football Playoff berth left Florida State’s coach, quarterback, athletic director — and some college football insiders — in disbelief and with harsh words for the selection committee on Sunday.
The Seminoles (13-0) became the first undefeated team from a power conference not to be chosen to compete for the championship in the 10-year history of the CFP. Instead of playing for a title, the Seminoles will meet Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
The Bulldogs were No. 1 all season until their loss to Alabama on Saturday in the Southeastern Conference title game.
“I am disgusted and infuriated with the committee’s decision today to have what was earned on the field taken away because a small group of people decided they knew better than the results of the games,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “What is the point of playing games? Do you tell players it is okay to quit if someone goes down? Do you not play a senior on Senior Day for fear of injury? Where is the motivation to schedule challenging non-conference games?
“We are not only an undefeated (power five) conference champion, but we also played two P5 non-conference games away from home and won both of them. I don’t understand how we are supposed to think this is an acceptable way to evaluate a team.”
Florida State beat then-No. 5 LSU 45-24 in the season opener and topped another SEC team, Florida, on Nov. 25.
“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. It’s a sad day for college football.”
Starting quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending injury against North Alabama on Nov. 18, and his backup, Tate Rodemaker, sustained a concussion against Florida. Third-stringer Brock Glenn was under center Saturday when Florida State defeated Louisville 16-6 on Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
Travis wrote on social media that he was “devastated” and “heartbroken.”
“In so much disbelief rn,” he said. “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!”
Boo Corrigan, the chairman of the CFP selection committee, said Travis’ loss to the team weighed on the committee’s decision to seed Michigan No. 1 and Washington No. 2. Those two undefeated teams were followed by a pair of 12-1 squads — No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama.
“Florida State is a different team than they were the first 11 weeks,” Corrigan said on ESPN. “Coach Norvell, their players, their fans, had an incredible season. But when 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 and the committee voted Alabama 4 and Florida State 5.”
Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said that thinking was just wrong.
“The fact that this team has continued to close out victories in dominant fashion facing our current quarterback situation should have enhanced our case to get a playoff berth earned on the field,” he said. “Instead, the committee decided to elevate themselves and ‘make history’ today by departing from what makes this sport great by excluding an undefeated Power 5 conference champion for the first time since the advent of the BCS/CFP era that began 25 years ago. This ridiculous decision is a departure from the competitive expectations that have stood the test of time in college football.
“Wins matter. Losses matter. Those that compete in the arena know this. Those on the committee who also competed in the sport and should have known this have forgotten it. Today, they changed the way success is assessed in college football, from a tangible metric — winning on the field — to an intangible, subjective one. Evidently, predicting the future matters more.”
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips agreed.
“It’s unfathomable that Florida State, an undefeated Power Five conference champion, was left out of the College Football Playoff,” Phillips said. “Their exclusion 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.”
Some college football insiders were quick to jump on Florida State’s side, including analyst and former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.
“Florida State EARNED their spot in the CFP on the field. With and Without Jordan Travis,” he wrote on social media. “You don’t punish or diminish the work of 100+ players and coaches because 1 player is not there on the field calling the shots. FSU always answered the bell this year and their response to losing their QB was to play POSSESSED ON DEFENSE. It’s an absolute travesty that they were excluded from the CFP.”
–Field Level Media