The announcement of the teams playing in the NCAA playoffs has angered many football fans for the exclusion of the Florida State Seminoles. With a 13-0 record on the season, many believe Florida State University (FSU) deserves a spot in the playoffs.
FSU has had an unfavorable stretch over the years, having only three winning seasons in the past seven years. Their 13-1 record this year has been their best since 2014.
Despite this, FSU was not picked for the playoffs and this has caused much controversy throughout the program.
FSU president Richard McCullough has said the university would “very seriously” consider leaving the ACC if things did not change.
This has also led to many discussions among fans.
“It is hard to exclude an undefeated team from the playoffs,” college football enthusiast Cameron Linthicum said.
A large factor of the controversy is the work and dedication that is put into making the playoffs is extreme, according to NCAA postgraduate quarterback Jacob Cady.
“[Playoffs] are obviously a goal for every team and it takes a lot to get there,” Cady said. “Especially when you take into account the ups and downs of a season. When you take into account injuries, weather, the struggle to balance school and athletics and keep up with both, it is very hard.”
Many fans believe the selection committee system is flawed and leaves room for error.
“They are human beings who can, even if they are not supposed to, allow unconscious biases to affect their judgment and choices,” Linthicum said.
College football enthusiast Daniel Zettlemoyer agreed.
“The selection committee doing something controversial was inevitable,” Zettlemoyer said. “No matter what, somebody is going to be upset with the outcome.”
Cady shares a different perspective on the committee’s flaws.
“I think the disadvantage is the committee can have a vague understanding of the difference in competition between each conference,” Cady said.
While many can blame the committee system and believe FSU was snubbed of a spot in the playoffs, there are many factors that go into selecting playoff teams.
“I really think it came down to strength of schedule [a main factor in the playoff selection process] and player availability,” Zettlemoyer said. “I think that is also why other teams got bounced, like Georgia.”
It has been announced by the NCAA that starting in the 2024-2025 season, there will be 12 teams in the playoffs, instead of four. This is a better alternative, according to Cady.
“I think [12 team playoffs] is a great way to give everyone who should potentially be in the playoffs a chance,” Cady said.
While some fans support it, other fans believe the new playoff format might not fix the controversy surrounding the playoffs.
“The [12 team playoffs] won’t solve the issue either as the #13 team will complain,” Linthicum said, “and within the top 12 seeding will be more important and will cause complaints as to why a team was ranked one spot lower and had to play a better team.”
There are other possible solutions, according to Zettlemoyer.
“I think what could work is the European soccer system; play yourself in, play yourself out,” Zettlemoyer said. “The top 24 teams are eligible for the top-tier playoffs, and if you are not in the top 24 then you are eligible for [a lower tier] of playoffs. At the end of the year, based on how teams played, they will either move up or down rankings.”
