As this college football season comes to an end, it marks the conclusion of an era—the era of the 4-team playoff that kicked off in 2014. Starting next year, the playoff is expanding to 12 teams. But let's not jump ahead without diving into the controversy surrounding this year's college football playoff picks.
Written by: Henry Kaplan
December 14, 2023
The chosen four were Michigan Wolverines, Washington Huskies, Texas Longhorns, and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Yet, this decision created a big controversy because of the exclusion of two top contenders: the Florida State Seminoles and the Georgia Bulldogs. Both schools had a solid case to make it into the playoff.
Understanding how the committee made this decision is very important. Michigan and Washington, both undefeated conference champions, seemed like obvious picks. However, the decision to favor a one-loss Alabama and Texas over the undefeated Florida State was very controversial. The Seminoles, being unbeaten ACC champions, found themselves on the sidelines, and coach Mike Norvell didn't hold back his frustration.
A significant factor influencing the committee's decision was Florida State's unfortunate streak of injuries at the quarterback position. Losing ACC Player of the Year and at one point Heisman contender, Jordan Travis, to a season-ending broken leg in the second to last game of the regular season and relying on a third-string quarterback clearly impacted the Seminoles' perceived strength. Committee chairman Boo Corrigan justified their decision, stating that without Travis, Florida State was a different team.
The Seminoles' exclusion sparked strong reactions from ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, who found it "unfathomable." The team's athletic director, Michael Alford, strongly argued that the committee's decision was a departure from the competitive expectations that define college football. The debate extended to whether a team’s resume is more important than how good a team actually is.
Despite the setback, Florida State's defense showed how good they are, with impressive stats over the two games without their star quarterback Jordan Travis. However, the team's exclusion raised questions about the selection process and loyalty to committee guidelines, especially the importance of being an undefeated Power Five conference champion. In fact the attorney general of Florida launched an investigation into the committee leaving the Seminoles out of the playoff.
The situation wasn't exclusive to Florida State, as Georgia also faced the consequences of an ill-timed loss, dropping them from the top four despite the fact that they were ranked number 1 in the AP poll from week one until their loss.
In the face of adversity, both Florida State and Georgia have said they want to put disappointment behind them and focus on their Orange Bowl matchup. The debate over the committee's decisions, however, has left a lasting impact on the college football landscape, challenging the credibility and fairness of the selection process as the sport prepares for a new playoff era.
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