Like many of you, I watched the College Football Playoff selection show on ESPN Dec. 3.
While I knew that two-loss Penn State was out of the mix, obviously, I was curious to see where the teams landed and what the matchups would be.
As I watched the show, I couldn’t believe what I saw.
13-0 Florida State — winner of the ACC Championship — was left out of the field.
How? Why? Those questions will likely never be answered.
In case you missed the selection show, it breaks down like this: Undefeated Michigan is the No. 1 seed, undefeated Washington is the No. 2 seed, one-loss Texas is the No. 3 seed and one-loss Alabama is the No. 4 seed.
Florida State — a member of a Power 5 Conference — is the No. 5 seed and will face No. 6 seed Georgia in the Orange Bowl in a game that means, well, absolutely nothing.
Before I make a case for Florida State, let me say this: Texas and Alabama are very good football teams. If there were no other undefeated teams, those choices would be fine. Alabama stopped No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship, while Texas was impressive in its destruction of Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship.
When the selections were announced, Florida State’s reaction was shown on ESPN. The players and coaches were visibly upset — and rightfully so.
There is no way the Seminoles should have been left out of the field. Put them at No. 4, put them at No. 3, it doesn’t matter. But put them somewhere. They earned it.
At this point, it’s fair to ask why even have a season? Florida State plays a legitimate schedule in a legitimate conference. Maybe their schedule isn’t as sexy as some of the other teams. Maybe their wins weren’t as lopsided.
Since when does any of that matter? The Seminoles won every single game and dominated Louisville in the ACC Championship game. To leave them out of the field is a bad joke. Look, would they beat Michigan? Maybe. Maybe not. We will never find out.
The worst argument I’ve heard for leaving Florida State out of the field is the fact that their starting quarterback, Jordan Travis, is out for the year with a broken leg.
Penalizing a team because of an injury is ridiculous. Can you imagine the Cincinnati Bengals or Cleveland Browns winning the AFC North and having NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stepping in and saying: “Sorry guys, but Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson are out for the year. You guys will have to stay home.”
Yeah, it sounds ridiculous. Because it is.
Florida State earned a shot in the playoffs. It’s just a shame we won’t get to see if their Cinderella story continues.
Chris Morelli is the managing editor of The Centre County Gazette. Email him at cmorelli@centrecountygazette.com.
