The playoff committee is charged with selecting the four best teams. Without their QB fsu was clearly not one of the 4 best teams. Their best win was over #11 LSU. Their strength of schedule was far far weaker than that of Texas or Alabama. Selecting fsu for the playoff would have effectively just meant giving Michigan a free pass in round 1. The Michigan players’ reaction when the news was announced that their opponent would be Bama instead of fsu was very telling. There was a collective groan from the players. They knew who the weaker opponent was.
“They knew who the weaker opponent was.”
Do they? If the reason for going with Tide rather than FSU is based upon sellability of their sponsors’ products, then that has nothing to do with the teams except appearance purposes.
LSU 9-3
Boston College 7-6
Clemson 9-4
Virginia Tech 7-6
Syracuse 6-7
Duke 8-5
Wake Forest 4-8
Pittsburg 3-9
Miami 7-6
Northern Alabama 3-8
Florida 5-7
Louisville 10-4
“Selecting fsu for the playoff would have effectively just meant giving Michigan a free pass in round 1.”
There is no such thing as a free pass in NCAA football. There are many situations that change the game like dropped passes, penalties, missed field goals, injuries... And who’s to say one or more of ‘Bama’s important position players don’t go down on their opening play? That’s all part of the game. One goes down for FSU and the whole scheme changes.
One of the things you look for in schedule is who they both played which in this case was LSU of which they both beat them. The AP rated FSU ahead of Alabama using the same criteria the selection committee used, supposedly, in their Dec 2 poll. Did they know who the weaker opponent is?
https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/fbs/associated-press
Put them on the field as unbeatens and see who wins. It may have been said best by Florida State coach Mike Norvell:
“What is the point of playing games?” he said.
And when a number of sports media like the AP and ESPN disagree because it is being done for money and not sport, them why call it a game and not a side show? The committee and P. T. Barnum had a lot in common. Both run a circus.
wy69