The college football season has come to an end after a championship win by the Michigan Wolverines and people are not happy with the outcome. The final college football playoff rankings of the season were released on Sunday, Dec. 3, the day after the conference championship weekend ended. This year, the top 4 teams were University of Michigan, University of Washington, University of Texas and Florida State University, setting the stage for the playoffs. With a shocking twist to finish off the regular season, the 13-0 Seminoles were left out of the playoffs being replaced by the University of Alabama.
The College Football Playoffs are selected by a 13-member committee instead of looking at teams’ records due to teams’ different schedules. The committee is made up of athletic directors, former coaches and players which rank the teams based on their skill on the field, conference championships, what their competition looks like and the overall outcomes of the games.
The four qualifying teams were University of Michigan, 13-0, University of Washington, 13-0, University of Texas, 12-1, and University of Alabama, 12-1. The decision made by the committee left not only Florida State fans in disbelief and anger, but it left a huge mark in the entirety of College Football. Many have stated that ‘The committee failed college football today,’ ESPN stated, while some believe this was the correct decision.
“Devastated. Heartbroken. In so much disbelief [right now], 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,” the star player posted on Twitter.
According to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee protocol guidelines, the decision is made based upon a series of factors, one of which includes “unavailability of key players.” Unfortunately for the Seminoles, their star quarterback Jordan Travis who is heading to the 2024 NFL draft, ended his season early after breaking his leg mid game against North Alabama University.
“As much as I think they got snubbed it was the right decision to leave them out. Bama is gonna give them a fight unlike FSU. Without [Jordan Travis] they barely beat Louisville and Boston College. There’s a reason why Michigan didn’t get excited when they saw they were facing Bama [instead of] FSU,” a junior at Trumbull High School claimed.
Nick Saban, the Alabama Head Coach is retiring, sources told The Tuscaloosa News. Saban, 72, shared the news to the team on Wednesday, Jan. 10. This has created rumors that the College Football Committee hoped to see Saban and Crimson Tide in a National Championship one last time, influencing this decision.
In response to this dispute, Florida State is now in the process of leaving the ACC and suing the conference. Not only is Florida State suing the ACC, Governor Ron DeSantis asked for $1 million in the states budget to go to Florida State to sue the committee over this snub. Alongside DeSantis, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is sending a 10-page subpoena to the committee.
The 2024 College Football Season starts back up in August with some new and beneficial additions. The College Football Playoff Committee is now adding 12 teams to the playoffs in hopes for an equal and less controversial process. As the sport embraces the changes, the future of college football appears to be offering Florida State fans and players a more equal and modernized experience.
