The College Football rankings were recently released with the top 4 being #1 Michigan, #2 Washington, #3 Texas, and #4 Alabama. #5 and #6 were Florida State and Georgia respectively.

In College Football, teams are ranked based on their schedule’s toughness and their record. The top 4 teams have a shot at the National Championship, while there are smaller bowls that don’t mean much in comparison.  This year, 2 teams that had a 12-1 record made the playoffs. Florida State, with their record of 13-0 Florida State didn’t. This left the players, and many loyal fans, upset. Why is it that Florida State was left out if they played better than the other two teams?

Florida State was left out of the College Playoff because their quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a severe leg injury. Travis would be out for the remainder of his college career due to this injury. Jordan Travis was the most important player on the team and one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. Without him, the college committee believed Florida State would not stand a chance against the other 3 best teams in the playoff. With this logic, they decided to give the other teams a playoff berth.

Although Florida State lost their best player, they still managed to go undefeated. The main argument against Florida State is that the other teams would simply destroy them with Travis out. Others argue that if the committee can rank based on healthiness then the regular season holds no meaning at all.

Without a doubt, had Florida State not sustained this injury, they would be in the College Playoff. Does healthiness give the committee the right to take away what all of the other players earned throughout their season? If rankings can be determined on health and what would pull more viewers, then the regular season may as well be skipped. Perspectives will always play a big role, as the majority will not want to see a team play without their best player and likely lose, but the minority believes they have been robbed of their earned right.

With these perspectives in mind, do you believe Florida State was robbed?

Work Cited:

• Crain & Company “Florida State got ROBBED” Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watchv=OqGytTs7Ixg&t=31s.
• ESPN College Football “Why Alabama got the CFP nod over Florida State | SEC Now”. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm_Bw9AaI_w.
• Gartland, Dan (2023) “SI:AM | Florida State Got Robbed”. Available at: https://www.si.com/college/2023/12/04/florida-state-college-football-playoff-snub-alabama.