In what could be huge news out of Charlotte that could impact the College Football Playoff, Florida State could be without quarterback Tate Rodemaker for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game against Louisville on Saturday.
ESPN reported the news here (FSU QB Tate Rodemaker game-day decision for ACC title game) just after 1 p.m. Central time on Friday, reporting that Rodemaker will be a game-day decision after taking a fourth-quarter hit to the head against Florida in a 24-15 win in Gainesville last week – which means FSU officials have known this for a week.
The story also reports that the quarterback – the Seminoles’ backup for most of the season to starter Jordan Travis, who suffered a season-ending injury two weeks ago at home against North Alabama – wasn’t a full participant in practice this week.
Travis was the ACC Player of the Year.
Rodemaker’s absence, if that’s the case, could force the Seminoles to play freshman Brock Glenn, who is 2-of-4 for 35 yards on the season.
Needless to say, there is a LOT riding on this.
Florida State is the number four team in the nation, and in the past, CFP committees have considered injuries to important players when removing teams from the top four, or not.
Removing a player like Travis – who completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,755 yards, 20 touchdowns and threw just two interceptions – from the Seminoles’ lineup, even if FSU is able to beat Louisville, and leaving them in the College Football Playoff would be irresponsible by this committee and keep a deserving team from reaching the top four.
There is no way the Seminoles are at full strength; the Seminoles without Jordan Travis would be a completely different team, just like Alabama was a different team without quarterback Jalen Milroe, or Michigan would be a different team without quarterback J.J. McCarthy, o Georgia without tight end Brock Bowers or quarterback Carson Beck.
Perhaps fittingly, Florida State and Louisville is the final game of the night, Saturday night. Everyone else will be on pins and needles to see what this committee, with at least three ACC ties (including chair Boo Corrigan, the athletic director at North Carolina State), will do.
