Jordan Travis’ absence became a storm cloud hovering over Florida State’s playoff chances even while the Seminoles continued to win.
It was a Selection Sunday that will not soon be forgotten.
No. 5 Florida State is the first undefeated power conference team to be left out of the College Football Playoff.
No team outside the top six in the next-to-last playoff ranking previously made the cut in the final ranking. On Sunday, what was No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Alabama ascended to No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.
Georgia, which was No. 1 in each of the five playoff rankings before losing to Alabama in the SEC championship game, became the first top-ranked team in the next-to-last ranking to tumble out of the top four in the final ranking. In fact, in falling to No. 6, the Bulldogs dropped more spots (five) than their margin of defeat (three) to the Crimson Tide. The 27-24 setback was their first defeat in nearly two years to the day when they lost to ‘Bama in the 2021 SEC title matchup. Kirby Smart’s team proceeded to rattle off 29 straight wins and win a pair of national titles.
Indeed, the 12-team playoff is arriving one year tardy.
With Michigan No. 1, Washington No. 2 and Texas No. 3, the final spot came down to 12-1 Alabama and 13-0 Florida State. Not that it came down to Jalen Milroe versus whoever was running the offense for the Seminoles, but it is difficult not to think about the quarterback situations with both teams and how one struggled at the position early in the season and the other late. Timing is everything, right? An eye test in September, before the initial ranking, is far different than in November or early December.
While Milroe took off following a benching and led the Tide to an SEC title, Travis was having a fantastic year for the Seminoles prior to suffering a leg injury against North Alabama on November 18.
