The Florida State Seminoles were left out of the College Football Playoff despite going undefeated and winning the Power Five Atlantic Coast Conference. Instead, the SEC champion Alabama Crimson Tide earned the final spot in the four-team bracket.
Boo Corrigan, the chairman of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, explained why the committee decided to reward Nick Saban’s team instead. It came down to a factor that was out of Florida State’s control: the injury to Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis.
“Florida State was a different team than they were through the first 11 weeks,” Corrigan said on ESPN’s selection show. “Coach Norvell, their players, their fans, 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.”
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Travis suffered a season-ending leg injury Nov. 18. He was on crutches Saturday when third-string quarterback Brock Glenn helped the Seminoles earn a 16-6 win over the Louisville Cardinals in the ACC Championship Game.
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“Looking at the player availability was really important to what’s going on,” Corrigan said. “And I think someone said it there (on the ESPN broadcast), you can lose a running back, you could lose a wide receiver, but a quarterback as dynamic as Jordan Travis, it changes their offense in its entirety. And that was really a big factor with the committee as we went through everything.”
The Seminoles being left out was one of two controversial decisions by the committee. The Georgia Bulldogs, who entered championship weekend as No. 1 in the country, were left out after they lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
Featured image via Jim Dedmon/USA TODAY Sports Images
