The four teams in the College Football Playoff are Michigan (seeded first), Washington, Texas, and Alabama.
Michigan (13-0), of course, beat Iowa for the Big Ten Championship. Washington (13-0) beat Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship, perhaps the final one. Texas (12-1) whipped Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship, and Alabama (12-1) defeated two-time defending national champion Georgia in the Southeastern Conference Championship.
Florida State, who went undefeated (12-0), was fifth. Georgia is sixth.
Let the complaining begin.
The announcement was made at noon Eastern time, 11 a.m. Central on ESPN, on the show hosted each year by Rece Davis (Alabama alum), Booger McFarland (LSU alum), Joey Galloway (Ohio State alum) and Greg McElroy (Alabama alum).
McFarland spent most of the early portion of the show when he was allotted time to speak arguing that it should be the four most deserving teams. McElroy and Galloway both said it’s always been the four best teams.
It would be interesting to go back and see if McFarland has always argued it should be the most deserving – given the fact that his school’s biggest rival, Alabama, seems to be one of the four best, and now he suddenly argues it should be the four “most deserving.”
Alabama had the fifth-best strength of schedule; Georgia the 37th; Florida State, the 55th.
Alabama’s record against top-25 teams: 4-1. Georgia’s record was 3-1, and Florida State’s was 3-0.
The Crimson Tide’s key wins this season: well, previous number one Georgia, Ole Miss and LSU. Georgia’s key wins: Missouri and Ole Miss. And Florida State’s key wins: LSU (an Alabama key win, by the way), and Louisville, all based on last week’s CFP rankings.
At any rate, the announcement was made, and Davis questioned Kirk Herbstreit, who had mentioned early in the show that he felt the debate wasn’t between Alabama and Texas, who had beaten Alabama earlier this year, but between Alabama and Florida State, and that Alabama should win that debate.
“Alabama should be at four,” Herbstreit said, when asked by Davis how the top four should come out, right before the fourth-ranked team was unveiled. “The injuries to Florida State – it’s just, you can’t avoid it. It’s nothing against what they accomplished. Obviously, what they accomplished is extraordinary, to be undefeated, to be an ACC champion.
“But that injury to (quarterback) Jordan Travis is part of what the committee takes under consideration. If you’re looking at Alabama and Florida State, under the current team and roster, it would be very, very hard to imagine Alabama not being there at four.”
The debate continued on the panel.
“They put in the four best teams,” McElroy said.
Galloway said the committee did the right thing by bumping Alabama up and moving Florida State out, based on Alabama beating Georgia and based on the injury to Travis, who accounted for so much of the Seminoles’ offense.
McFarland tried to carry the torch for Florida State.
“To me, this is a travesty to the sport,” he said. “Because we go out on the field, and we play the game. Regardless of whether it looks good at quarterback, regardless of whether we win with offense, regardless of whether we win with defense, the name of the game is to win. And that’s a reason never before has this not been done: winning a Power-Five conference, going undefeated and not getting into the playoff.
“I understand we want to look at style points and who are we going to get for the best match-ups. But that’s not what this is about. 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 went out there and busted their behinds – and not get into the playoff based on the eye test…mind you, this is the same Alabama team who needed a prayer in Jordan-Hare to beat an Auburn team that lost to New Mexico State, and that’s really what has me bothered right now.”
Galloway stopped him.
“Rece, can you deliver the strength-of-schedule, strength-of-record thing?,” he said, then to McFarland: “Because you’re making it sound like Alabama has beaten nobody.”
“No, I’m not,” McFarland protested.
“Yes, you are,” Davis said. “They’re in the top five in strength of schedule, and Florida State’s is 55th.”
Galloway said the committee’s choice to bump FSU down because of an injury to Travis – who threw for 2,755 yards, 20 touchdowns and just two interceptions – was warranted.
“I feel awful for Florida State and Jordan Travis, because if he was still playing, this would be a different conversation,” Galloway said. “Everything you speak of was accomplished with Jordan Travis as their quarterback.”
McFarland interrupted. “They won the last two games without him, though!”
Galloway continued. “Yes. And that’s when we saw this team with Tate Rodemaker and Brock Glenn. Fifty-five yards passing last night. It wasn’t pretty. Here’s the thing, Boog, and honestly, I hear everything you’re saying. If our goal is to have the four best teams, there’s nothing to do with what you deserve. There’s nowhere in the bylaws that say you have to be undefeated. There’s nowhere in the bylaws that say if you’re a Power-Five conference and you’re a champ and you’re undefeated, you get in.
“I feel terrible, but, when we look at this Florida State team, and what they are today, what they were last night, what Alabama – who lost to Texas, who was the third team in this thing – what they were then and what they are now, this Alabama team is different, and you know this. And this Florida State team is different, and you know this. They lost their quarterback. It’s not a receiver. If (Xavier) Worthy doesn’t play for Texas, they’re still a really good football team. When you lose your quarterback, that is different than any other position than any other sport on earth.”
Eventually a few moments later, after showing the reaction of Florida State’s team and coaches, Davis interviewed committee chair Boo Corrigan, also the North Carolina State University Athletic Director. Davis asked Corrigan why the committee chose Alabama over the Seminoles.
“I think in looking at it, and again, that was the decision, was Alabama at four,” Corrigan said. “Florida State is a different team than they were through the first 11 weeks. Coach Norvell, their players, their fans, you know, (have had) an incredible season. But as 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.”
Davis asked about the debate between Alabama and Florida State.
“It’s one of the questions we do ask, from a coaching standpoint, is who do you want to play, who do you not want to play, as we go through that, again, where we are today, not where we were three weeks ago, or eight weeks ago… We went around and around, late last night, then again this morning. We came back again this morning with Alabama at four, and Florida State at five,” Corrigan said.
Corrigan said there was never a rushed moment, and that the committee went through the vote at least a half-dozen times.
Davis said one of the things in the protocol is player availability. He asked Corrigan how important that was to the committee in the case of the injury to Travis, weighing that also up against Alabama knocking off a Georgia team that the committee had as its number one team for much of the time it had been releasing rankings this season.
“We had eight really good teams this year,” he said, “right? Somewhat of a unique year in the last year of the four, right, as we go through this. Looking at player availability was really important to what’s going on. I think someone said there – you can lose a running back, you can lose a wide receiver, but a quarterback that’s as dynamic as Jordan Travis, it changes their offense in its entirety. It was really a big factor with the committee as we went through everything.”
In addition to Corrigan, the remainder of the committee:
Chris Ault, retired former football coach and athletic director at the University of Nevada, having served three stints there (1976-92, 1994-95, and 2004-12; moved the Wolf Pack from Division II to Division I-AA in ’78, then to Division I-A in ’92. Ault created the pistol offense, implementing it there in 2005, and is a 2022 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Mitch Barnhart, the current University of Kentucky Athletic Director. Recently completed his fifth year as a member of the NCAA men’s basketball committee and was chair of the committee for the 2021 men’s tournament. He’s also a former chair of SEC Athletic Directors (2017), was named athletic director of the year by the Sports Business Journal in 2019, and is also a former AD at Oregon State (1998-2002).
Chet Gladchuk, Athletic Director, U.S. Naval Academy. Former director of intramurals and recreation at Boston College (1990-97). Former AD at the University of Houston and Tulane University. Won the National Football Foundation’s John L. Toner Award (recognizes an AD who has shown outstanding dedication to college athletics and demonstrated administrative abilities). Selected to serve on the NCAA Leadership Council (helps to set the D-I legislative agenda and advises the NCAA on major legislative issues.
Jim Grobe, former head coach at Baylor, Wake Forest, Ohio. Named ACC and national coach of the year by the AP and Sporting News in 2006 (Wake Forest). Played at the University of Virginia in 1973 and 1974.
Mark Harlan, University of Utah Athletic Director. In his tenure, Utes have won four national championships (in skiing) and 24 conference championships. Was named the AD of the Year by National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors in 2023. Former AD at the University of South Florida. Served on the Division I Football Oversight Committee.
Warde Manuel, athletic director, University of Michigan. Former AD at UConn (2012-16), where he was named the NACDA Under Armor Athletic Director of the Year in 2015.
David Sayler, Athletic Director, Miami-Ohio, since 2013. Former South Dakota AD (2010-13). Former Ernst & Young executive and has held athletic administration experience at Rice, Oregon State, Bowling Green, Houston, Hartford, Georgia and UConn.
Will Shields, former NFL offensive guard, starting 231 consecutive games for the Kansas City Chiefs. Was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (2011) and into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (2015). Was the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2003. Former Nebraksa standout.
Gene Taylor, AD, Kansas State. Former AD at North Dakota State (2001-14) and former deputy director of athletics at Iowa (2014-17). Lengthy tenure at Navy as administrative assistant in athletics (1986-2001).
Joe Taylor, former head coach at Florida A&M, Hampton, Virginia Union, and Howard. Won four Black college national championships, and has a record of 233-96-4. Member of the College Football Hall of Fame (2019) and the Black College Football Hall of Fame (2020).
Rod West, Group President, Utility Operations for Entergy Corporation. Past President of the AllState Sugar Bowl. Member of board of directors for the National Football Foundation. Former linebacker and tight end at Notre Dame, a part of the national championship team in 1988.
Kelly Whiteside, professor, Montclair University. Former USA Today national college football writer who also covered seven Olympic Games, the NFL, other pro leagues and major college sports. Former reporter at Newsday and Sports Illustrated. Was the first female president of the Football Writers Association of America.
Here are the complete final rankings.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RANKINGS (released Sunday, December 3):
| 1. Georgia (12-0) | 25 |
| 2. Michigan (12-0) | 24 |
| 3. Washington (12-0) | 23 |
| 4. Florida State (12-0) | 22 |
| 5. Oregon (11-1) | 21 |
| 6. Ohio State (11-1) | 20 |
| 7. Texas (11-1) | 19 |
| 8. Alabama (11-1) | 18 |
| 9. Missouri (10-2) | 17 |
| 10. Penn State (10-2) | 16 |
| 11. Ole Miss (10-2) | 15 |
| 12. Oklahoma (10-2) | 14 |
| 13. LSU (9-3) | 13 |
| 14. Louisville (10-2) | 12 |
| 15. Arizona (9-3) | 11 |
| 16. Iowa (10-2) | 10 |
| 17. Notre Dame (9-3) | 9 |
| 18. Oklahoma State (9-3) | 8 |
| 19. North Carolina State (9-3) | 7 |
| 20. Oregon State (8-4) | 6 |
| 21. Tennessee (8-4) | 5 |
| 22. Tulane (11-1) | 4 |
| 23. Clemson (8-4) | 3 |
| 24. Liberty (12-0) | 2 |
| 25. Kansas State (8-4) | 1 |
