ACC commissioner Jim Phillips was not pleased with the College Football Playoff committee’s decision to leave Florida State on the outside looking in after the top four teams to compete for the national title were announced.
The committee selected Michigan at No. 1, Washington at No. 2, Texas at No. 3 and No. 4 was Alabama. During Sunday’s CFP selection show, committee chair Boo Corrigan said that FSU was a “different team through the first 11 weeks” with star quarterback Jordan Travis, who suffered a season-ending injury against North Alabama on Nov. 18.
Despite Travis’s absence, FSU (13-0) remained undefeated with wins against North Alabama, Florida and in the ACC title game against Louisville on Saturday. Each of the top four teams also won their respective conference championships as well.
However, Phillips believes “it’s unfathomable” that the Seminoles were left out of the top four.
“Their exclusion calls into question the selection process and whether the Committee’s own guidelines were followed, including the significant importance of being an undefeated Power Five conference champion,” Phillips said. “My heart breaks for the talented FSU student-athletes and coaches and their passionate and loyal fans. Florida State deserved better. College football deserved better.”
With FSU at No. 5 and on the outside looking in, it marked the first time in the four-team playoff format that one of the undefeated teams in the mix was not named among the top four programs in the country.