By Ron Johnson
Florida State – OUT!
So the College Football Playoff is official. We now have our Final Four before we get ready to add 12 teams to the bracket for next season. As expected, following Georgia’s loss to Alabama and Michigan’s shutout win over Iowa, the Wolverines were the clear-cut No. 1 choice when the Playoff was unveiled this morning. The second selection was also a clear-cut choice as Washington returns to the College Football Playoff with a chance to repeat history.
Then came the fun part if you weren’t in Tallahassee.
Following Alabama snapping Georgia’s 29-game winning streak, and Texas ripping Oklahoma State a new one, it came down to the Longhorns, Tide and Seminoles who did their best against a Louisville team with their 3RD STRING QUARTERBACK!
Yes, folks. Florida State was playing with their 3rd string after Jordan Travis suffered a broken leg against North Alabama, and Tate Rodemaker suffered a concussion. Let’s make this clear: Brock Glenn is a true freshman who was tasked with the heaviest role in any freshman’s life, which was lead his Seminoles to an undefeated season, an ACC Championship and what many believe would be an automatic bid into the CFP Semifinals.
However, the Committee got it wrong yet again.
The Committee in the end chose Washington’s opponent for the Fiesta Bowl to be the Big 12 Champion Texas Longhorns, while Michigan will collide with Alabama in the Rose Bowl. As for Florida State, they will face the former two-time National Champion Georgia Bulldogs, who are now ranked sixth in the CFP Rankings, in the Capital One Orange Bowl on December 30th.
The only question I have is…how the bluest of blue hells did either Texas or Alabama overtakes an undefeated, Power Five, Conference Champion that has two huge wins over the SEC already?!
As the announcement rang out over the big screen and big speakers in Tallahassee, the players at Florida State were genuinely and understandably ticked off at the decision. And despite head coach Mike Norvell telling his players to calm down, even he was beyond frustrated at the decision. Norvell said that he was disgusted and infuriated and the Committee’s decision to leave Florida State out of the Final Four.
In a statement, Norvell said, “I am disgusted and infuriated with the committee’s decision today to have what was earned on the field taken away because a small group of people decided they knew better than the results of the games. What is the point of playing games? Do you tell players it is OK to quit if someone goes down? Do you not play a senior on Senior Day for fear of injury? Where is the motivation to schedule challenging nonconference games?”
And Florida State has a legitimate gripe in my opinion.
This team overcame losing their Heisman candidate, plus getting a concussion on their second-string quarterback, and relying on a true freshman to overcome all odds to lead them to the ACC Championship. I’m beginning to wonder if Clemson stepped up to the plate and played a perfect season, would they have kept them out of the dance too? Florida State EARNED this shot at the Semifinals, and for a group of old heads who probably played two-hand touch or flag football to have the final verdict is insulting.
Now let’s make this clear for everyone right now. I am a Gators fan, and I was seething when we lost last week. But I can even tell you that Florida State earned the right to play in the show. How can Texas and Alabama bypass Florida State when they both got one loss on their record versus ZERO losses on Florida State’s?
The Seminoles have a legitimate gripe, and I actually have their back on this one.
The Noles did everything right except not sit out their Senior quarterback on Senior Day. That is just a load of BS to me. What is the point of playing these games if it is up to a bunch of senior citizens who spend their off-time dancing to David Bowie’s Golden Years? Championships are earned on the field of play, not in a boardroom at the Mariott!
As much as the Committee thinks they did everything right, they did the Seminoles dirty on this one. And as much as I want to be in their corner, I’m a sports fan/writer/former athlete before anything else. I never really enjoyed the thought of decisions being left to referees, committee members or anyone that doesn’t have the stones to get out there with the pads on. And that is what this looks like to me.
According to Boo Corrigan, “Florida State is a different team than it was the first 11 weeks. As you look at who they are as a team right now, without Jordan Travis, without the offensive dynamic he brings, they are a different team and the committee voted Alabama four and Florida State five.
Somebody want to tell me if Boo was drunk when they made their decision this morning.
Florida State left it all on the field and led this game from start to finish. They won by 10 points against an angry Louisville team that just got embarrassed by Kentucky the week before. They kept them out of the endzone, which is a hard thing to do no matter who they’re playing. Florida State finished undefeated. Florida State finished with the conference championship. Florida State finished what they started. So, someone ask Boo where the Blue Hell did Florida State screw up enough to NOT get into the Top Four.
Would this have been a whole different story if Ohio State had beaten Michigan? Would it have been this big a deal IF Florida had beaten Florida State? Make it make sense Boo! Cause right now, expect the Boo-Birds to show up at both the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl after you just gave Florida State the shaft.
But hey, that’s just my opinion.
