On December third, the College Football Playoff Committee made a decision that put into question the rules of the playoffs forever. The college football playoffs have always been controversial as they are not decided by stats but rather the opinions of 13 people who watch all the important games. These people also rank the top 25 teams out of 133 who are eligible. However, out of those 133 teams only four can make the playoffs. Typically an undefeated team or one that wins an important conference with a good record (SEC, Big Ten, kind of Big 12 and ACC) is a lock for the playoffs. When picking for the playoffs, the committee considers championships won, strength of schedule, head-to-head competition, comparative outcomes of common opponents and availability of key players. The last criteria is the most controversial.
In the public’s eye there were 7-8 teams before the championship games who all deserved a spot and were capable of making the playoffs:
12-0 Georgia
12-0 Michigan
12-0 Washington
12-0 Florida State
11-1 Texas
11-1 Oregon
11-1 Alabama
11-1 Ohio State
Going into Championship Weekend, Ohio State needed a miracle to make the playoffs. Alabama, Oregon, Texas and Florida State would all have to lose since OSU didn’t play in a conference championship after their loss to Michigan the previous week. Oregon would suit up against the opponent who granted them their first loss earlier in the season but this time in the Pac 12 Championship. Washington went on to squeak by Oregon eliminating them from the playoffs as no 2 loss team has ever made it and securing them a pretty much guaranteed spot in the playoffs. This left three spots and seven teams.
Texas played for the Big 12 championship against Oklahoma State and took care of business with quarterback Quinn Ewers breaking the Big 12 Championship passing yards record. This put them up for a playoff spot if one opened up and eliminated Ohio State. Michigan also destroyed Iowa in their championship game winning 26-0. That cemented their place in the playoffs also leaving 6 teams and 2 playoff spots left. Florida State also won their championship against Louisville but struggled after star quarterback Jordan Travis brokehis leg 3 weeks ago, leaving the offense a shell of its former self. Alabama and Georgia played each other for the SEC championship where the unthinkable would happen which would start this chaos in the first place. Georgia, who hasn’t lost a game in 2 years and were ranked the best team in college football the whole season, lost the SEC championship to Alabama by 3 points.
This was the chaos scenario. Georgia totally deserves a spot in the playoffs if the college football playoff committee was really committed to picking the four best teams but how can they let them in when they lost to Alabama in the SEC championship, For Georgia to make it they would have to be below Alabama, Alabama would then need to take over Texas, since Texas beat Alabama earlier in the season and head to head is an important selector. Potentially making Georgia the 4 seed. However this was unlikely leaving previous number one ranked Georgia out of the playoffs, the first time in the 10 year history of this program that the number one ranked team before the playoffs completely slips out of the picture. Despite Alabama Winning they still didn’t clinch a playoff spot leaving this as the potential 6 teams who could make the playoffs going into Decision Sunday.
13-0 Michigan
13-0 Washington
13-0 Florida State
12-1 Texas
12-1 Alabama
—GAP—
12-1 Georgia
To no one’s surprise the committee selected the undefeated champions Michigan and Washington as the number 1 and 2 seeds in the playoffs. However the topic of “the unavailability of key players” was raining down on Florida State’s playoff hopes as some members of the media were calling for them to be out of the playoffs because they wouldn’t stand a chance against any of the teams without Jordan Travis. After all, they barely beat 16th ranked Louisville last week, a team any of these contenders should have destroyed. Their weak performances after losing Travis caused Alabama to jump them for the fourth and final seed in the playoffs.
“To me, this is a travesty to the sport” stated Booger McFarland. “We go out there on the field and we play the game. And regardless of if it looks good at the quarterback position, regardless of if we win with offense, whether we win with defense, the name of the game is to win.” Other analysts would attempt to argue that Alabama deserved to make it because they were the better looking team on the field. “This is about understanding to get the four best teams. One team has a loss, and that’s Alabama. One team doesn’t, in Florida State. And the fact that this committee could take a Power Five conference champion that’s undefeated, those kids have gone out there and busted their behind and not get into the playoff based on the eye test.” ESPN analyst Booger McFarland would go on to say right after the news was released.
However, not everyone was upset at the news as LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly stated “We knew that there were five conferences from the very beginning, and only four spots. We played Florida State and we played Alabama, two outstanding football teams. But the two football teams were different at the end of the season than they were at the start of the season. Unfortunately, Florida State was not the same team earlier in the year than they were later in the year because of the injury to the quarterback.” College Football Playoff Committee Chairman Boo Corigan went on ESPN after the rankings were released and stated “Coach Norvell, their players, their fans, had an incredible season. But if 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. And the committee voted Alabama four and Florida State five.”
The biggest issue with Florida State being left out is that it calls into question how the teams get picked for playoffs. If the goal really is to pick the four best teams, does that mean that Georgia gets left out even though they are clearly better then at least Washington? Did Ohio State deserve to be left out after losing a single game but only by three to number one ranked Michigan? None of these questions will ever be answered because College Football is the only sport where the playoffs are decided on opinions, not stats, not team records and not tie breakers. Just pure opinions of 13 men and women watching the games from a room in Grapevine, Texas.
