Sad news:Florida state coach has just been suspended.

In the ten years that the four-team postseason has been in place, Florida State is the first unbeaten Power Five team to be left off of the College Football Playoff field. And just one thing explained why it wasn’t on the playoff field this year: star quarterback Jordan Travis’ injury.

In Week 12 against North Alabama, which FSU had scheduled as a sort of bye week to prepare for rival Florida in Week 13 and the ACC title game, Travis sustained a season-ending left leg injury. Boo Corrigan, the chairman of the selection committee, stated on Sunday that Travis’s absence from the field altered the committee’s perception of the Seminoles. Travis has stated on numerous occasions that FSU is a “different team” without him.

In response to FSU’s exclusion, Travis questioned whether he ought to have sustained an injury earlier in the campaign to give his teammates more opportunities to prove they deserved a postseason berth.

utterly destroyed. brokenhearted. I wish my leg had broken earlier in the season so you could all realize this team is much more than just the quarterback. I’m in such disbelief. I believed that outcomes mattered. 13-0, and every team in those top 4 rankings can match this roster. I truly apologize. Go, Noles!

Injuries may be taken into consideration by the playoff committee when determining the playoff field. Furthermore, it has never been clear what the four “best” or “most deserving” teams are. For some, there is a large overlap between the criteria. Some people believe that the most worthy teams aren’t the best.

Regarding the committee’s choice, Mike Norvell, the head coach of Florida State, concurred with Alford.

The Seminoles were in an unprecedented situation thanks to Florida State’s offensive output in Travis’s absence, despite the play of a defense that is fully deserving of a postseason berth. Following Travis’ injury, neither backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker nor Glenn completed 50% of their passes. Due to a head injury, Rodemaker missed the ACC title game after starting against Florida.

The selection committee probably would have kept Florida State in the playoffs if their offense had resembled Ohio State’s in 2014, when the Buckeyes dominated Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game while starting third-string quarterback Carldale Jones. However, FSU has scored 19 fewer points in its last two games than Ohio State did on that same night, nine years ago, when they played Wisconsin.

The committee’s conclusion that Texas and Alabama were both superior teams to Florida State seems to have benefited greatly from that. And the fact that the 2023 season will be the last to feature a four-team playoff before the postseason grows to twelve teams the following year is probably of little comfort to Alford or anyone else who cheers for Florida State. This year, if the postseason was extended, Florida State would host a Group of Five opponent in the first round.